Balloon Animals
Published in
Oct 5, 2021
When I was seven, I took an acting class
where a red-nosed clown
in polka dot overalls,
and oversized squeaky boots,
showed us how to shape balloons into animals.
First, of course, was the dog,
then the giraffe,
which was basically just the dog
but with a longer neck,
all leading up to the most challenging, the bear.
My little fingers
struggled to tie the knots
without letting air escape.
Sometimes it would pop
and I’d have to start over again.
In the end, she handed me the bear she’d made
and told me to keep it safe.
I placed those balloons, hers and mine,
in the corner of my room
on a pile of blankets
to protect them from anything sharp.
But by the next week,
the ends had puckered
and the dog’s head
had dramatically decreased in size.
