Déjà vu


I saw her again today
fragile and flaxen-haired
a vision from my past
a memory ever present
Little blond girl

This one had torn jeans and laughing eyes
Others have been playful angels or porcelain dolls
Always they are beautiful

My heart fills
Is she loved?
You are so loved.

On those long ago days we were perfect, you and I.
Mother and child.
You taught me more than I taught you
The purity of love
And now you move away from me
Literally and figuratively
As it should be

But you know what?
It hurts so badly
So when I see them
As I do almost every day
Everywhere
Little flaxen-haired girls
Some with torn jeans
(I used to put heart patches on yours)
I say to myself
There’s my little Heather

dws 1995