Central Park packed
Winding paths lined
With grey gritty snow
Morning dressed
In black lined coats
And leather briefcases
Bustle about in a rush
To get someplace –
Ten minutes ago
Thick chain gold
Watches glanced at –
Synchronized chaos
As a little lost girl sits
Kicking her new boots
Against the bench
Her cool blue eyes
Pool as she stares
At the monochromatic
Monotone masses
A chubby grip on
White ribbon tightens,
The other hand holds
A cold iron arm rest
Blue Black curls
Blown from her eyes
Into her dry mouth –
Small lips -Emit a
Spitting sound
Drowned out by
A chattering crowd
Her cheery cherry
Red friend that
Loves to dance –
Flies low and close
Like static hugs
To long tangles &
Tiny giggles escape
Blowing in the breeze
As she smiles at
The only color the
City will offer for
A pocket of pennies
Gretchen Leary 2013
For dVersePoets: Poetics 02/23/2013
Gretchen Leary (McIntire) 
Like static hugs
To long tangles &
Tiny giggles escape
Blowing in the breeze…smiles…there is much joy in those little balloons…my kids loved them…dancing on the end of the string…she, the little girl, is like an island in the every flowing sea of humanity…
It truly is amazing how something so simple can mean so much 🙂
Indeed.
like how you started us in a larger place and narrowed down to the balloon… loved the last line
Thank-you!
..you really lived up to the topic of artistic description…and it shows clearly well… how amazing to think how a minimalistic art can lead to thousands of words.. cool to find company from such a lovely lifeless thing… lifeless to many but from a child’s mind it’s more than just a thing you hold on to… it saddens to see it fly leaving her alone… hope it will find a decent landing when it bids its final bow… smiles… enjoyed it Gretchen… thanks…
Thank-you Kelvin! What a great piece of art. So simple and complex at the same time 🙂
Oh, the only color that the city will offer. At least she had the balloon for a friend. I feel sadness for the young girl.
Oh but she seems quite happy with her balloon friend. Kids are often easily amused 🙂
Yes, she does indeed. Smiles.
I like the ending lines, the only color the city can offer of a pocket of pennies ~ Smiles ~
Oh, Gretchen – this is magical – wonderfully written – K
Thank-you K!
So sweet… and I can picture this so vividly.
Thank-you Laurie 🙂
Just wonderful, that breath of colour and static hugs…the smile a balloon can bring…magical!
Very cool. A little girl and a red balloon in contentment among the busy, unhappy throng.
A Pocket Full of Pennies what a fantastic title and poem. I love how colors take center stage on this as well. Cheers Gretchen!
Not much one can buy these days for pennies that brings so much pleasure…for a while I was a kid again…thanks.
I think my latest poems tend to be on the nostalgic side. Thank-you!
This was truely amzing and I’m gonna share it with friends later, as a read of course. I love your voice. So veery unique and your use of language and words is so kool I’m jeallous because I know you have to be born with this english language to be this good, and I will never getr that far. Excellente. One of my favs today!
Wow, thank-you!
An ode to simple pleasures.
Thank-you!
Gretchen! This is amazing! Such a wonderful play to the image…I’d love me a balloon friend…bravo, Poet! Bravo!
Wow, coming from you Natasha, it means so much. Thank-you.
Very fun. Nicely done.
One thought: In a crowd of two-hundred people, probably 25 people at any give time are looking out thinking about everyone else being a monotone mass or chattering crowd or colorless city.
Very sweet poem, thanks, Gretchen. K.
Beautiful poem, Gretchen. I wrote about the balloon too 😉
Thank-you Susan. I love your take on it
very cool response. I was going to use this one, then changed my mind as something in the widow just drew me in completely. Love your take and where the inspiration led you here. Great job.
Thank-you. I almost chose the one of the mother/child but felt I did not have the right words for it which is quite sad but one day when I have my own I will find those words. You did an excellent job with your response to the prompt 🙂
A totally inspired take on the prompt ~ lovely use of language ~ I could see the bright child in Central Park 🙂
The only color the
City will offer for
A pocket of pennies…nice…the cities of this world should be full of red balloons to color up our lives…very cool detailed description of the girl and the scene around her..liked it much
Wow Gretchen! This is wonderful! I’ll be back to read it again and again and again and again and … well you get the idea 🙂
Wow Tony! Thank-you!
Loved the inclusion of Central Park (lived on L.I. for 5 years, frequent visits to NYC!). A melancholy feel to this with the little girl, and yet a spark of brightness. One can only hope she will be noticed in the chaos. Nice story you have woven here.
Thank-you Ginny!
I can see her red balloon in a sea of grey and white. Beautiful. 🙂
Thanks Imelda 🙂
Beautiful, Gretchen!! 🙂
Thank-you 🙂
Love this Gretchen. Simply magical and so enchanting to look into how a child thinks and feels.
Thank-you Renee! 🙂
Beautiful response to Kelvin’s artwork! Good use of color imagery and an ironic play on the lonliness of Kelvin’s piece… I love that your little girl and his balloon are no longer alone.