Brendan’s short sleeve school shirts
come in three colors,
pastels yellow and green,
rich and simple blue.
On the front the shirts say
Be Kind | Work Hard | Get Smart,
on the back messages kids read
passing through the halls.
The yellow quotes Brother Malcolm:
The future belongs to those
who prepare for it today.
The green quotes Maria Mitchell:
We have a hunger of the mind…
the more we gain, the more is our desire.
The blue quotes Gandhi, fierce pacifist:
We must be the change
we wish to see in the world.
Today the sun shines brilliant
against a pale blue sky,
down on a yellow one
and a green hanging
from the lattice roof
I built back deck.
We have no washer, no dryer,
so I hand wash these,
hang them out to dry.
Today, I hope as I age
that I never forget Brendan at 11,
or the vision of
shirts drying in the sun,
or the need for us to be
the change we wish to see,
even as I acknowledge
how much else
I have quite forgotten.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment