The Little Boy Poem by Rae Desmond Jones

(To Patrick)

the little boy
in dirty shorts was
trying

to catch a
puff ball along
harris st

& as he snatched
it caught
a gust of air

from a car.
it rose & floated
a delicate

satellite of
innocence just out
of reach

where it stayed
until finally there
was only a

traced spot of
white.

the boy gripped
his arm in parody
of pain

& walked away
unaware that a
puffball

had settled
on his shoulder
in the

instant he was
standing quite still.