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Children Rising

The middle schoolers reach high to find their voice, to
put words to their vision for a better world.
If I were in charge of the world, the teacher asks,
what kind of world would it be?
Prompted by their teacher’s question,
they have at it,
climbing up the walls of their unspoken grief,
clamoring to grab hold
of something, anything, solid and real,
they gather clues, listening to themselves in
the pain of separation and loss.
Yes , one radical dreamer, opines,
how wonderful it would be, to have a world without
borders, just think,
no police, no papers and freedom from deportation.
Out of sheer loneliness, some cry out
for a world of friends, loving and supporting
one another,
with food, water, and shelter for all.
In place of poverty, all the money required to help
people in need,
making sure those who needed it the most,
got it.
In these children’s new world, you can sleep without fear,
no guns or violence, in a peaceful environment
where magic might prevail,
fantasy the reality, using flying creatures for travel
with less pollution.
And for one child, the memory of her mother’s love,
the capstone of it all.

 
Endnote: The Blue House Summer Project 2018, LaVenture Middle School. Based on summary from Sherry Chavers, teacher and poet.

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