The world has not been cruel to him yet

“so he brings leaves to construction workers at the park, holds them out like treasures anyone would be glad to take. The world has not been cruel to him yet, so he lifts his blue-beaded wrist up to everyone we pass, asking, “Do you like my bracelet?” and the only possible answer is: yes. The world has yet to be cruel to him, so he believes there are only two types of people— good and bad—and the bad ones aren’t real. The world has not been cruel to him, so when he can’t sleep, we list out all the people who love him and when we run out of names, he tells me that the trees love him. Saturn loves him. The sky loves him too. And when he falls asleep on my shoulder, I thank the world for staying soft for him. For giving us a little longer. For not being cruel to him just yet.”