When did my heart harden? How did empathy slip away? Dr. Lindelson pondered these questions in the spacious office where she had practiced psychotherapy for forty years, since she completed he ... [+]
Rebecca van den Ham's poem, "The Balloon Lady," is in Short Circuit #03, Short Édition's quarterly review. Rebecca writes for children and teens. She loves butterflies and vintage clothing and lives with her family in Southern California.
I was sad, oh so sad,
All alone in my pain.
Thankfully that was when
The Balloon Lady came.
I had hung my head down
And let out a groan,
When I saw a foot standing
Right next to my own.
I looked up and saw,
To my great surprise,
A friendly-faced lady
In front of my eyes.
"Would you like a balloon?
I've got some with me,
Right here in my wallet.
Hold on, let me see..."
And she held out to me
Three balloons: red, green, blue.
I took happy red.
Wouldn't you choose red, too?
Then, "Thank you," I said
As I looked up to stare
At that friendly-eyed face
With the blond curly hair.
The Balloon Lady smiled
And patted my head.
"You have a nice day,"
Was all that she said.
And then she was gone.
She just disappeared.
And I stood there holding
My small souvenir.
I looked at the thing
And started to grin.
I stretched out a red line
As long as my chin.
I let it snap back.
I took in some air
And filled that balloon
With all my despair.
I let go of the neck.
The balloon made a tweet
And whizzed all around,
Then dropped at my feet.
I picked it back up
And went on my way,
So glad the Balloon Lady
Stopped by today.