Pressing her foot into her shadow
she dances along the sidewalk
The child waves, bends.
and splashes
Kicking away the leaves by strutting
she’s nothing less than Peter Pan.
A fairy’s flint to an inner fire.
These are the years of no
consequence.
Childhood has no protocol.
She dies so many times a day,
springs back alive and laughing
Published in The Blue Mountain Review, December 2024.