Poem: The Mayday Parade

The Mayday Parade

We carve our obsessions

On the backs of living room walls

Then send out our smiles

In the mayday parade.

Carefree and wild,

            The children run and play

On the green

At the scene

            Of the mayday parade.

Don’t you dare tremble,

            Don’t shed a tear

We wave with clenched fists

Grit our teeth in rictus

As dusk settles down on

            The mayday parade.


Author's Note: The first stanza of this poem came into my mind suddenly, but I didn't have any context to put it in so I set it aside. About two weeks ago I ended up finishing it, and found I kind of liked it a little bit maybe. It shares a theme with a much longer poem I've written, the theme of hiding your problems because of pride or fear. I'll leave you to catch the double meaning of "mayday."