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Behind the Door

Behind the Door

she saw

the dust

swimming

in the ray

of a closed

window

and thought

she heard it fall

as it touched

the floor

where a trace

of footsteps

left a sole

behind

the dust settled

on well-loved

Blue

and the bottom

of teacups

and bathtubs

wrappers of crayons

and crust

half-eaten lollipops

and spilled milk

wet mittens

and socks

turned pages

and magic tricks

leaves and sticks

and every rock in the river

brown boxes

that were never boxes

but boats

stars stuck on the wall

wake up at night

the cat didn’t have a home

neither the dogs

the birds, the rabbits, the hamsters, the fish, the gecko

the squirrel

minnows, frogs, fireflies, butterflies, inch worms

a white moth

a brown moth

a ladybug

a beetle

a bee

a lizard

broken wings

and tired deer

raccoons

and a fox that was

jest too fast

like that hummingbird

magic was

in the air

in every breath

it whirled and twirled

and rumbled and ran

it zigged and zagged

and crawled and stood

and pirouetted

and glided and spun

and drifted

quietly

across the floor

winking and blinking

out the door

leaving a trail

a hidden path

an opening

in a field

of wheat

a forest

of snow

an ocean

of sand

a mountain

of mist

a meadow

of orchards

red apples

and emerald cities

“follow, follow, follow, follow, follow

the yellow brick road …”

TL

Published inPoetry