Crayons and paper 
at the kitchen table with my niece
She draws rainbows and painted ponies
I draw the sky and the sea

She draws her baby half-brother and her sister
I draw Paul Bunyan’s ox
She draws a fat yellow unicorn with whiskers 
as she sips juice out of a box

She puts Mars and Venus in my sky
I add Uranus and Neptune
We talk about Uranus and how it’s pronounced
She gets hysterical and juice comes out her nose

We collect up the crayons and break out the cookies
She tells me about Jesus, I’m thinking about Vishnu
Then out of nowhere she grabs my arm and asks
“Andy, how come everything you do is blue?

“Your t-shirt’s blue
Your jeans are, too
Your eyes are green but they’re always blue
from now on I’m gonna call you Uncle Blue”

I say ok

“Okay”, and we leave it at that
She hums along with the refrigerator drone
Then they both fall silent and she asks me
“What’s it like living all alone?”

I say “I like it

“Yeah, I like it, but it’s not for everyone
Only for fools like me.”
She says, “You’re no fool, I think you’re cool.”
She loves her rhyme and gets hysterical again.

Juice comes out her nose
I think she does it on purpose
So, I tell her she’s got talent
then suggest that she and I run off with the circus.

She likes that idea.

Crayons and paper 
at the kitchen table with my niece
She draws rainbows and painted ponies
I draw the sky and the sea

Uncle Blue

G-Man Joy