"All My Pretty Ones" (1)

Part 1

A little boy goes down the lift alone,

His school’s possession neatly tucked inside

A backpack on wheels à la trolley ride,

As happy as a puppy with a bone.

I do not think he should be by himself –

Is Mom or Dad just sitting on the shelf? 

Young children must be accompanied by their Mom or Dad or other guardian – to and from the bus, to and from school – to keep them always from harm’s way.  

From "All My Pretty Ones," Part 1 © Ron Villejo

Note. I wrote this four-part poem in March 2009, when I was living in Dubai.  It was an accounting of things I saw parents do, in relation to their children, which made me shudder.  The title, “All my Pretty Ones,” comes from Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” uttered by the shocked Macduff when he heard that Macbeth had his wife and children killed.