WE JUST WANT IT TO BE HEALTHY
Here is the little bomb. We call it baby,
all mouth and potential. We do not speak
of disappointments—no one to strap it on yet
and cross the border, the demilitarized zone
of our foyer. The neighbors coo at it, rub
the tops of its dimpled hands with their thumbs
and say, “give me a smile.”
We think about schools and such, of course.
But at night when we lay our plans
it always kicks its feet from the bassinet
in the corner of the room, central to everything,
central to some final detonation.
—from Rattle #25, Spring 2006
2007 Neil Postman Award Winner
__________
Cullen Bailey Burns: “I love inordinately champagne, Belgian chocolate, and poetry. Since I must exercise moderation indulging in two of the three, I spend much of my time playing around with poetry. It’s low in calories and has never caused me to dance too wildly at weddings or sing karaoke to ‘Brick House.’” (web)
