Teddy Bear

By Anthony Hom

Tufts of cotton litter the air

Cotton falling ever so graceful onto the dinosaur print blanket

Laughter and giggles rise as the teased and cotton clouds come to rest

As these bits of soft and filling parts are pulled and fished, they are thrown up in the air in great reverence as the children's hands raise high to the sky

A ball bounces through the room and the children give chase

Lying next to the pillow adorned with a grinning crescent moon and smirking, sparkling stars is, mostly, a teddy bear

His left arm on the floor, and his right, behind the bed post

No signs of his legs, presumably tossed across the room

The smiling teddy bear, gutted of his worth, in pieces, shall still retain his smile

Whether he is reduced to such a state, or cared for in great diligence and protection, that is all he has