The Girl by the Pond, a poem

by Glassbottom

i needed some time
time away from her
not from a lover
not from a friend
someone who does not
want my help
but needs it...

and so i walk
to the nearby park
in the afternoon sun
with the breeze
through my hair
and i sit with a book
by the pond
reading the same words
over and over again
interrupted by...

oh if there were words
to describe
pencils or pens or brushes
that could portray
the beauty of this young girl
whose unspoiled
european pubescence
barefooted smooth-skinned
ass shapely in striped shorts
and legs to die for

and i could not keep my eyes
to myself
as she spoke polish
to her mother
and her little brother
who rode a bicycle
while she rode a scooter
with black pigtail
bobbing behind...

but i had to get back
to my mother
whom i cleaned up after
when i was a child
and still burdens me
as a young woman
seeking the child
i once was
in reflections
in the pond.