Peramulet

Katie was pushing the stroller
With Jack, down the bumpy sidewalk.
Clicket. Clunk. Clicket. Clunk. Softly,

Katie, softly. It was sunny,
The day, the light on Katie’s face,
The light on tiny, newborn Jack,

And you wanted to say something
To protect everyone in it,
To seal some phrases together

That could shield, that could more than mean,
That could be what language isn’t,
What myths and tales dream it should be,

A spell that can enact itself,
A verse transcending poetry.