THE GIRL WHO HELD YOUR HAND.

[dadio]

You got on the coach
for the day trip

organized by the chapel people
for kids who were poor

and this girl
sat next to you

and said
you can be my boyfriend

for the day
and she took hold

of your hand
and gave it a squeeze

and you looked out
of the window

at your mother
standing there

looking up at the coach
and you thought

is this part of the deal?
Is this girl for real?

And Mother waved
and smiled

and you smiled
uneasily back

with the girl’s hand
holding yours

out of sight
and she looked

over your shoulder
and waved

but no one
waved back to her

because her mother
wasn’t there

maybe she was off somewhere
or had to go to work

or maybe
she was still in bed

with another uncle
beneath the sheets

and maybe
he was holding her hand

and she was holding
something you never knew

or cared about
just sitting there

waving to Mother
beneath a sky of blue.