shiny, round, gleaming on the wheel of the Mercedes as it rolls down black asphalt runways to the ocean spinning hypnotizing circles if you stare at your spinning reflection the movie of your life cranks all the birthday parties and watermelon and the blackberry brambles stuck in your bellybutton stumbling for the bathroom trip on a shoe tangled in a sheet the shedded particles of grey matter a whisker a dime a breath mint a bicycle legs flying out arms flailing waving Look No Hands all this and the cupcakes one for the principal though he wears a brown suit polyester under his black shoe polish hair and smile that says nice child what's your name and thinks he should know and doesn't want to admit he doesn't yellow and orange dots of flowers confused on a brown dress with white rick rack and a frown a grimace really and a sticker that says my name is ___I ride bus #__ and you fill in the blanks with brown sandals size 8 go to your room and wait even though it's your birthday and it's not fair later go to Mrs. Polvent's watch her fingers nimble work her needle making perfect tiny stitches she can still stick thread through the eye of a needle on the first try and she's 81 years old if you look through the window after you ring the bell you'll see her hide the paperback romance under the cushion keep looking and looking and it's just the spinning again the spinning and the asphalt and the sea