In a stuffy cubic room
droning merry-go-rounds
kiddie temple veins pulse

These children know how
To run blindfolded
To bump and bruise nicely

Kid skin – kid vellum
meandering inscriptions
glory of past intrepid tests

Yet the cage stands
A gasp echoing tank
recursively unyielding

Rough are the preschool years
When extended to eternity
Spent in a gaudy unbending crib

Suck in the musty air
Lick your toffee wounds
Fall asleep in your mind’s crib

Fotios, March 2004