Out of the Mouth of Babes

by Michael Cluff                                

" I want to be the hostage,
I want to be the hostage
who helps crash the plane
for a change," lamented Jarrod
that unusually warm and
uncomfortable May 28th morning.

"You're better as the tower," said his twin Hugh,
"You don't move around
or whine as much
as Ashley."

" I want to be the stewardess
who calls her boss
and tells him about the jet plane
gonna to be hitting the building soon," Adrenne did whine.

At four, five ans seven
these kids
were reliving history
in their own steads
over and over and over and over again
in their backyards
in suburban Saginaw
or Selma or Savannah or Sacramento
or...

somewhere close
to home