All of their mouths are smiling:
the lion, the giraffe, the monkey, the zebra.
Their wooden bodies are painted
in primary colours not matching their faces
stood upright in a hand-shaped boat.
They’re not in the correct places.
They don’t say anything to each other,
they just allow themselves to be taken
and put back and taken and put back
while the hand learns patience.

© Carl Burkitt 2021