Susan Hogan          Return

My Daughter's Story
First Prize 2001 Poetry Contest
 
May daughter tells me of a walk
she will take with the animals.
She will hold hands with the monkeys
and help the elephants knot their trunks
together like in a caravan.
She will give the tigers names
and won't even cry
if their claws scratch a bit.
 
It is the morning
of her grandmother's funeral,
no one is sure how to get on with the day.
Everything has changed,
the winter sun coming in the window
is dry and sharp.
 
In my daughter's story
the crocodiles will open their mouths wide
so she can ride on their tongues
and she will wear sunglasses when she naps
on the backs of the giant turtles.
 
She puts her head
on my lap and moves her hands through
the dust particles suspended in the light.
She is pleased with her story,
a gift.