The Toy

The boy holds up the toy he built
of colored slotted discs
from a Taco Bell kid’s meal
and explains softly to his mother:

His neck is made of earth.
His chest is air.
His arms and belly are also earth.
His spear is a shaft of air tipped with fire.
What is this?

The pelvis, his mother says.

His pelvis is water.
His thighs are air.
His calves are also water.
His feet are fire.
His head is a shield.

I like him, he concludes.
He’s the Friendly Earth Guardian.

The boy has built himself.
She turns the toy over in her hands,
his elements rushing through,
and recognizes the man.

2011