during the otherwise scheduled regular order

during the early years, Roseanne D'Spirito,

in a crisp-white Sunday morning dress

fell from the rapidly spinning merry-go-round

in the little, tar-smeared playground across from the church

while those of us who didn’t fall, spun-on in our glee

passing her as she struggled to recover her equilibrium 

in an almost freeze-frame event.

there she is! there she goes! there she is again!

as Roseanne D'Spirito, angel of the bleeding knees,

readies herself to latch-on to the first appropriate

handlebar and when it arrives, Roseanne D'Spirito, eight,

grabs the bar and runs with the speed of the platform

then leaps aboard with the grace of an Ali Shuffle!

damn the bleeding knees! this girl's no shrinking violet!

‘round and ‘round and ‘round and ‘round spinning through what is now

herein considered to be an enlightenment to the scheduled regular order.

1951 / Columbus Park