This hula hoop is perfect, Daddy, see!
She laughs, and sways her hips in filligree
Describing graceful circles all around
Her dancer’s torso, while the sighing sound
Of flouncing skirts, makes impish parody
Of what a princess might turn out to be
If she could slip past the security
Inside the royal palace, having found
This hula hoop
And slide down to some smoky dive, where she
Could join the revels, dancing wild and free,
Releasing all the duties she has bound
Herself to follow, lying on the ground
And laughing softly: Thanks for giving me
This hula hoop.
Penguin Poems 