Louie wasn't there.
         Not really.
         His body stood behind the cake.
         Little hands,
         nerveless,
         guided through mazes of ribbon.
         Bright paper unnoticed.

         His eyes,
         blue as the sky at noon,
         gaze into private universes
         where only he
         is allowed entry.

         He stood unmoving,
         among toys and laughing children,
         and was alone.