Ten Birds

Ten is a bird you must not miss
I see them
On the grass
The cherry popping in my shoe ridges
Like blood exploding
This time will never end
But I say to the little girl
Do not lose tomorrow
She popped her balloons and ripped down the banner
This is no place to be 21
She left her name dangling from the ceiling
The colours are not as fine as the white rose
The candy floss time and plane bruises
They flap like old skin
Unscrubbed
Forgotten
Misplaced
I wonder who she thinks she is too
I
I
I am lost
A bird missed
A vote misled
Trapped in the mud of other people’s noise
Not quite wading
Not quite drowning
Not quite.
Ten is a bird you must not miss.
My story was long forgotten at seven.