This Poem is a Big Red Heart

This poem is a six year old boy 

whose dad and dog both died.

This poem is a crayon.

This poem is a big red heart.

This poem is a sweet and valiant little boy,

who has known tears, but who loves to smile.

This poem gets knocked down, and

bounces back up again.

Like the boomerang, it keeps coming back,

because it has known death, so it cherishes life.

This poem is a six year old boy 

whose dad and dog both died.

This poem is a crayon held in a grubby fist

by an intent little boy 

who wants a picture of his pain.

This poem can draw a stick figure dad 

with a big smile, and open arms,

and a devoted droopy-eyed dog, 

with floppy ears and an old soul. 

This poem is a crayon.

This poem is a gigantic wobbly red heart

with a dog inside, along with  the words

"Papa and Phoenix are fishin' in hevven".

This poem squeezes the heart

of his mother, who lost her mate,

then, one year later, held the body 

of his old fishing pal as he went to sleep 

for the last time.

This poem has lost too many loves,

but keeps on smiling, loving and moving forward,

because of a small boy made almost entirely

out of hope and trust and sweetness and love.

This poem is a large red heart.

*for Real Toads' Play It Again, Toads, where I was happy to pick Hannah's wonderful Boomerang Poem form, which makes writing a poem easy, given a few key ingredients.

* also posted for the Poetry Pantry at Poets United.