PURE PLATINUM CURIOSITY

his 8 year old wizened eyes

morph into liquid chocolate question marks

as his mother fades into the mottled background

the muted splashes of miniature turtles in the ceramic pond

and the background clatter of Chinese dishes

framing the uncomfortable apparition of the tattooed man-beast in front of him

as he busily studies the metaphysical significance of a small French fried smiley face

on his tiny white bone plate

he decides to tender an offer to the altar of the unknown

“What do all those tattoos mean, anyway?”

as he breathlessly awaits a response from He-Who-Is-Known-As-Boyfriend

fleeting images of magicians wizards hellfire breathing dragons blue/black phantoms

dance together in perfect harmony in his pure bright brain

“Oh, they all mean something about the life I’ve lived.”

he receives this news with the nod of a sage monk

and a small sigh of relief and understanding

as the veil of misunderstanding lifts away

and his face breaks into a sunlit satellite grin

his mother gradually emerges from the ether

struggling forth with a formidable array of steaming treats

to fuel the nuclear fusion inside her glowing son

her shimmering visage triggers a sudden memory in him

of fast water jet tubes and supersonic rollercoasters

and he recalls the supreme joy of clutching to his breast a small fuzzy dog

that he successfuly acquired after an exhausting series of negotiations

completely determined at that time

to add this stuffed trainee to the enlisted corps in his bedroom

that alert him to any misplaced Martian aliens

that might become lost under his bed at night