William Joel
Sonnet for a young child
Go pick a toy from in the bin, the one
that holds your treasures, stuffed with many toys
whose days of first-found rapture linger on,
discovered, each time, new and full of joys
that never seem to end. Go grab a book
and jump into my lap. We’ll each take turns
at reading, laughing at the pictures. Look!
I see an elephant behind some ferns
he thinks will hide him. Such a silly! They’re
too small for him. He’d have a better chance
behind a rock, a boulder, maybe, where
his bulk would not stick out, for elephants
are far too big. Let’s see what happens when
we turn the page. Perhaps he’ll learn by then.