Hoops A hub of concentration in the hubbub of the fair, my daughter coaxes a hoop along a loop of wire. This is a face I've seen too often lately – austere, set against the odds, daring the world to thwart her. I wish her an easier hoop to dip in soapy water, fill a bubble with her breath. I want to laugh with her when the bubble bursts, knowing she can make another. Stephen Payne If you've a comment on this poem, Stephen Payne would like to hear it.