The Carousel

I choose the white horse

With golden hair

And red clothes that

Make him look like a prince.

I carefully mount myself

On the saddle,

Hold on to the golden pole

Like a little girl to her fantasies.

The bell rings, the carousel

Goes 'round, takes me

To a world of castles and candies,

And princesses playing on a sprawling garden

Where worries do not exist,

And afternoons are spent

Running and frolicking

On sweet-smelling grass.

The horse tickles

As it goes up and down,

Eliciting giggles in this journey

To a painted dream.

The world becomes a blur,

Everything fades, overpowered

By the twinkling lights.

I am transported.

Alas, the bell rings.

I go down, say goodbye to

The lights, the music, and the horse

That made me a child again.

-Katherine Lopez

17 July 2011