Red Rover

Red rover, red rover, send our mothers on over.

Spread their wings like the stiff wings of eagles,

Send them running warm with grief like a river

From the rotten mouth of a volcano, babbling,

Water smoother than a baby's bubblegum tongue.

Let motherhood not escape them, or gut them

In the winter night once we've all been sent away.

Red rover, red rover, send them over some other day.

Red rover, red rover, send the next batch on over.

Roll their sleeves and let them sing past your

Playful hour, which will soon turn dark, shade

That turns forest air into sea winds. Soon they

Will have to learn what it means to be nautical.

How best to roll the waves, bite down on the bread,

Gather up everything we left and go back to the start.

Red rover, red rover, send them no constellation chart.

Red rover, red rover, send this ending on over.

The final wisp of dragon breath, a warm upward draft

Into the reflective sky, flecked with beads of magic.

The ancient sycamore tree itself is even splintering.

The machines of creativity are creaking and spitting

Out screws and grinded gears, so forward us quickly,

End the withering dream, snipped short at both ends.

Red rover, red rover, everything is burning again.