A LITHESOME MOM AT THE PANHANDLE PLAYGROUND

A poet of movement,
she is music for the soul,
with a body that holds
the warmth of the sun.

A silhouette of her stance,
a perfection of beauty,
once photographed
by Richard Avedon.

Her radiant energy
captures every eye.
Overweight babysitters
squelch their envy.
Men’s heads turn
as if blown by a wind.

As fathers glumly
wend their way home,
they feel as if an adze
has shattered their hearts,

leaving a visit from Venus behind,
a Queen, who will not survive her reign.