The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

Rainbow for Breakfast

Baby eats a rainbow for breakfast.
He gnaws at the ends of macrame,
and like apple pie on a stick, holds
the sky in a newly formed fist …

Baby eats a rainbow for breakfast.
He does this daily as if for the first
time and smiles a one-toothed
smile that says, look at me.

Baby eats a rainbow for breakfast.
He holds it in his teeth, hands free
like a Labrador, swimming on the
carpet— arms and legs waffling.

Like a scorpion, arched away
from the floor in striped
pajamas, baby is a
rainbow.

About the Writer


Jess L Parker

Jess L Parker is a poet and strategist originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Jess lives in Fitchburg, WI with her husband, 18-month-old son, and Pitbull, “Poe”. Her debut poetry collection, Star Things, is winner of the 2020 Dynamo Verlag Book Prize. Jess’ poems have appeared in Bramble, Kosmos Quarterly, Blue Heron Review, and elsewhere. Jess holds a B.A. of English and Spanish from Northern Michigan University, an M.A. of Spanish Literature from UW-Madison, and an MBA.