Giving Mark a Bath

he asks
where does the wizard live

are there bad wolfs around here

no no
those things they make up
to scare little boys
they aren't real

gets out of the tub
slender not quite 4

blond, skinny, pretty, shining,

wonderful eyes

I wrap the towel
around his shoulders

then I see it is him
running down the streets
naked, no place
to hide, terror,
the missiles dropping

I am nowhere
no help

he who knew everything
who had all the answers

This poem is from a collection of Greg Kosmicki's poetry, when there wasn't any war, and was reprinted with permission from Pebble magazine.