Listening
to Nina Simone sing “Ooh, Child”
I let my mind roll slip trip
back reverse into yesteryear
while considering
my love
for
a crazy place called
the Magic Kingdom
and it’s almost impossible
to know the who
what
why where
of the emotional attachment

Obviously
you have a magical time as a child
and you imprint events

The smile on your mom’s pretty face
Christmas mornings
summer always
but of course, Disneyland…

Naturally,
some of us grow
out of the dream or
the wish the heart wants to make

You
concentrate on work
mortgages
preschools
blood pressure tests
guns
or no guns
abortions
or not enough abortions

As the purple balloon rises
ungripped
you’re losing it
the string
cutting across the soft skin
of your lifeline

And how fucking sad is that?