Attic Memory

Poem about childhood memory / #2 / 1990-91 (high school)

In a dark room,
     long thin planks run across
     forming a wooden floor.  
A luminous funnel of light 
     washes over the center of the room 
     revealing the tiny dust particles;
Like floating faeries
     dancing in a moonlit fog.  
The highlighted rough rug of dark blues and reds
     is formed from wide yarn tubing 
     spiraling outward.

A young boy sits
     with one leg on the rug
     stretching the other 
     out to one side.  
Curly golden hair 
     crowns his round head.  
Light blue eyes, 
     soft nose, 
     lips pulled into mouth, 
     and dimpled cheeks;
Form an innocent"
     almost angelic face.  
The boy leans back on one hand 
     and moves small wooden trains 
     in a circle 
     with the other. 
His blue pajamas 
     have feet; 
And opens at his lower back 
     leaving bare skin 
     and underwear showing.

Of the small wooden trains 
     there is an engine, 
     a log carrier,
     a caboose, 
     and several box cars.
They are all constructed out of 
     geometric simple solid shapes
     and have small connectors 
     to hook them together.  
The spiral rug forms a track
     for the vehicle to follow.

Surrounding the boy and the rug
     are nine faces, 
     staring down in amusement
     from their throne-like chairs.  
A shy, long haired, unsure woman.  
A jovial, portly, mystical man.   
A tense, short haired, nurturing woman.  
A worried, hooked nose, Gaian man.  
A social, corpulent, tabloid woman.   
A stern, thin, logical man.  
A foggy, chiseled, carefree woman.  
A sedentary, frazzle haired, melodic man.
And a diligent, soft skinned, religious woman. 

To the boy, they were an 
     omniscient, omnipotent 
     council of elders. 

But the boy
     was still
     just a boy.