There Was A Child Who Went Forth

THERE was a child went forth every day;

And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became;

And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.

The divorce papers became a part of this child,

And fights, and going back and forth, and back and forth schedules, and the separated families,

And the new stepmom, and the different rules, and the pettiness, and the unstableness,

And constantly visiting doctors, and the constant tests and needles,

And the midnight rushes to the hospital-- all became a part of her.

The mother was nowhere to be found, she needed to work;

The mother with stern words-- in her business suit, always immaculate, never a hair or string out of place;

The grandparents were there- ancient, sedimentary, but constantly full of love and care;

This way the time was spent-- with my grandparents during the daytime, my mother only in the night,

The father, kind, level headed, caring, calm, peaceful,

The hug, the night time stories, shoulder rides, lots of field trips,

The walks, the pumpkin patch, the cold classroom,

The separate family, the different languages, the cultures-- all became a part of her.

The creaky swing set became a part of this child,

And sand, and orange and yellow snakes, and orange and yellow flowers, and the quietness of alone,

And the loving dogs, and the library's quiet, and the sun's warmth, and nature's beauty,

And the quiet of the empty houses, and the four walls of my bedroom,

And the knowledge that served as my sole company-- all became a part of her.

The bigger family became a part of this child,

And school, and long and hard work, and long and hard projects, and growing work ethic,

And the social fear, and the teacher's kindness, and the trees' shade, and the new friends,

And the stress of the new change, and the distance from family,

And the finding of my own identity-- all became a part of her.

The personal growth became a part of this child,

And fun, and supportive friends, and supportive teachers, and strong relationships,

Again the health scares, and of course growing stress, and discovering her values,

And learning self acceptance, and the strength it takes to forgive,

And discovering hope and beauty in life-- all became a part of her.

The reality became a part of this child,

And hurt, and evil people, and evil practices, and violent mass shootings,

And the racism, and the blatant sexism, injustice in the world,

And becoming afraid, and then learning how to move on,

These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes, and will always go forth every day.