I remember my 7th birthday
My best friend was Joyce.
Also there was Bobbie, Fawn,
And..... it was a long time ago.
???
Forgive me."Daydream Believer" had just come out
And was number 1 on all the AM stations.We danced like 7 year-olds, free and swirly.
Dressed up in party attire, with
Crinoline under our fineryAnd played games of imagination.
I remember that I got to be
Cleopatra in one of the enactments.
I really didn't know how to play
That part adequately.Except for laying sideways
On a couch and receiving
Devoted citizens and pilgrims.I believed myself to be on a
Boat, floating down the Niles,
Or some gentle tributary.Though I already knew some
Things about slavery, I never
Connected the two til now.All lives have some devotion to
Death.Whether it's visiting loved ones
Once they've passed on,
Or building monuments that would live
On for thousands of years after,
Or for working on one's own garden,Day by day, Moment by moment
Growing readier to accept change.
Change of moment
Of breath,
Of form,
Of experience.Self-explanatory: