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Parade weather
The rain marched down Thimble Lane.
Lulo watched it from Gran's window.
'No parade today,' he said.
Gran moved her chair a little closer.
'Not in the lane, perhaps.'
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The first marcher
Lulo found a wooden duck beneath the dresser.
It was small enough to carry in one paw.
He set it on the table.
It looked ready to go somewhere.
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A useful wagon
His little cart could carry the duck.
But then who would walk at the front?
Lulo put the duck down again.
The cart would carry something else.
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The flags
He folded scraps of colored paper around blunt wooden pegs.
A red flag. A blue flag. A yellow one as bright as a petal.
The cart looked taller already.
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A very small band
A wooden thread spool made a drum.
Lulo tapped it with a little wooden peg.
The wooden duck said nothing.
Lulo supplied a quack.
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The tall problem
The blue flag leaned against the red one.
The yellow flag leaned against both.
Lulo gave the cart a push.
All three bowed together.
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A shorter sky
He set the flags lower in the cart.
Now the cart could roll without bowing.
The yellow one made a sunny corner.
Lulo liked knowing which one it was.
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More feet
A wooden rabbit joined the duck.
A cloth mouse came out of Lulo's pocket.
The mouse had to ride. Its legs were rather floppy.
At last the cart had a passenger.
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The long way
Lulo pushed the parade around the teapot.
Past the breadboard.
Under Gran's raised knitting.
It took a surprisingly long time to cross one table.
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The best place
From her chair, Gran could only see the tallest flag.
Lulo considered the window ledge.
He carried the parade over, one marcher at a time.
The duck went first again.
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Here it comes
At window height, the little cart looked splendid.
Lulo tapped the spool. Gran hummed a marching tune.
The duck rolled past her.
Outside, the rain was a very large audience.
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The return journey
The parade went all the way to the flowerpot.
Then it turned for home.
Gran hummed the tune backward, or as nearly backward as she could.
The cloth mouse rode both ways.
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