like a flock of brilliant birds and so I wrote that poem he says and I say When was it that you saw them and he says Four years ago the day after they found that missing girl’s body in the frozen field over which I saw them floating and I just had this feeling you know and I say Yes I know I saw them too just yesterday all yellow and red and blue all bunched together still like some small hand had blossomed just a moment ago and set them free they were headed north it was a sign to me of things to come though the trees were all still bare armed and so sorrowful there It would be nice he says if we could all be like balloons Yes I say opening out my hand it would be nice My name is Blue I add My name is Red he says I search the sky on the way back home but all around me is that field there is no moon and the bone chill night is murderous black like it must have been four years ago and yet somewhere on the other side of the world it’s greening spring and someone’s found little girl lets go a flock of many colors into the bright beamed face of God runs laughing open armed towards laughing opening arms and so I write this poem Madonna And Child, Laughing for Red and me the missing nameless all of us yes the killers too because I just have this feeling you know if you ever see balloons