She Must've Fallen on Her Head

*Part 1*

I thought I was strong, like Supergirl.

Daddy was upstairs; I knew
because I could hear the roaring,
deafening voice of the vacuum
Back and forth: rarr, zoom.
Rarr, zoom.

The rocking horse
held inside a metal cage
from silver springs stood tall
But I stood taller

My tiny fingers wrapped around
the chilly equine that stared
with empty blue eyes
and dragged it onward up
the crusty linoleum stairs, drool on my cheeks

Two flights, up up
And later I reached the top
arms shaking (tired)
as I called out to Daddy
But he reminded me of Muffin, our angry cat,
darting from room to room, growling.

He couldn’t hear me either
Too much noise, too loud!
20 seconds later
my arms dropped
with the frozen horse
and we fell head over heels
in blood together.

I remember the tears, the screams
the pain, the blame
But not the hospital visit
The old carpet now covers the dents,
the horse braying in that great playroom in the sky.

*Part 2*

I stand skittish upon the starting line
Trying to concentrate on the task at hand,
Shoes wrapped snuggly in a blanket of sand
And eyes blinded by the lack of sunshine,
Wishing a victory would soon be mine.
Uneasy, I look next to where I stand
To see shaking leaves stare back beside me,
Stark eyes matching the rain falling down free.

Tense, we glance at the impassive statue
That would soon decide our fortune and fate.
With watch and gun and frown, she ceased to wait.
The shot rang out, I a swift streak of blue
Exploded upon the track like a flame…
It was finally time to begin the game.

On my toes I tried my best to stay upright
I always hated being the first to go….
I held the frigid, rigid baton tight
As my hands grew numb, nose bitten cold
A push then came to shove

I fell off
My horse?
Back and forth I tried
Can’t fall down
The blood
Exploded upon the track
Like a flame?
Too cold, too loud
See what I could do?
I thought I was strong
Like supergirl
Hear me daddy?
See what I could do?
Rarr, zoom.  Rarr, zoom.
The screams, the blame, the blood, the pain,
Don’t remember the hospital visit.
The horsie…in the sky?