At the stoplight

Sitting in my SUV
Relieved of another day
Of boredom, tasks that do not matter
I see the young mother in
Pink flip flops, droopy pink pants
With words of wisdom or possibly
Advertising printed proudly
On her narrow-hipped behind
And hoisted high on her shoulders
Legs straddling her neck like a scarf
Was a delicate and beautiful girl
With china doll skin and
Cute little girl clothes
This small gift her
Simple trust, still intact
Does not fear the rush hour traffic
She believes that her mother knows the path
Through all of it
She has yet to hear the statistics
The expert testimony
The social studies that all say
She is doomed
Failing schools
A young life turned to gangs or drugs or
Teenage births
All I know is
Her smile
Her trust
Her face
And knowing what I know
I weep the slightest tear
In a world like this
There will be many more chances
To cry, to pray, to dream
Of better days
To remember the kindnesses
We once knew
The rising tides
That once dared
To lift even the smallest boat

dg

4/30/11

Sent from my iPad
http://jdavidgamble.blogspot.com/

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