K as in Kindergarden
In Scarsdale it is called a stepping up party
for us it was called "Aurelia's goodbye to all her friends party"
Nine children in the windy summer sun
lined up for makeup
Aurelia chose a vampire
Leandro had a snake drawn in the center of his brow
how suitable for my Egyption prince
Goofy Gary had clown shoes
big floppy over-sized
ones
and a bit of a New York "watch it" to his tone when the kid pulled on his bow tie.
That's OK
he's real
I loved his hankerchief that wouldn't disappear five times it didn't work
on purpose
until everybody everybody said
igby something wiggie the magic words
he asked the kids what are the magic words
one kid said abracadabra and aurelia raised her hand and said HoCus Pocus
she is so smart.
no they were
iggy ziggy wiggie
which kept reminding me of For Esme with Love and Squalor
the iggy (igby) word mixed with wiggie
wiggie is actually my husbands nickname at work
but to me he is GiGi
The wind was perfect
a couple of balloons disappeared, one I traced over the Level Club, the building next to the Ansonia that must have competed for grandure back in the day when Babe Ruth and Caruso shared an elevator.
What will it be like to remember this day
It was so lovely over the city, with the park in one view, those two doric towers and The River
We were on this wooden deck
A lovely little girl poured herself two unsweetened cold green teas, I knew she wouldn't like it, and the yogurt drink, which I drank
There were lots and lots of cookies and juice boxes
Leandro had a balloon hat
made of a yellow heart
blue stalks and a red halo
and I felt like I kept saying I need you to hold me to my husband, as if I were a cat, just running up at his shin underfoot
but I probably was more occupied pulling it all off
