| Treasure Chest Mary had a little lamb
Whose fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
That lamb was sure to go.
That simple poem has been my life raft
to worlds I never dreamed existed.
Charleston, South Carolina
Sanders-Clyde Elementary sits squashed between barracks they call homes.
A shy ebony girl with a twinkle in her eye takes my hand and follows me to the stage.
But I can feel the flood waters rising when she won't open her mouth.
I bring another girl, unremembered, with a loud cry to the stage.
Together they can "baaa" and follow me around like nobody's business.
It's the sparkle of her smile that lingers in my heart.
"I never thought she would get on stage,"
A teacher whispers in passing, "Thank you."
La Joya, Texas
In the humid heat of the valley I wade through a field of hands.
As I clasp the hand of a girl with a sparkling cinnamon smile
The whole room chants, "Gabby, Gabby, Gabby"
"She can't stand," her friend whispers.
I feel a river of panic rush through me.
Knowing its too late to go back my mind is racing
Trying to build a bridge to carry us through.
A teacher comes to my rescue lifting her to her feet
And together we walk to the stage.
As I try to explain the whole "baaa" thing,
Still trying to figure out the "following" part,
She rattles off a rapid river of Spanish too swift for my dumb ears.
Again the teacher rescues me quickly translating.
She is chiding her peers for making such a fuss.
She's taken control and I'm merely along for the ride.
Together we perform the poem.
Children cheer as she "follows" me back to her seat.
I leave, marked with the lesson that legs and language
Can't stop the world's greatest stars from soaring.
Somewhere in Kansas
I am walking on thin ice of cold stares from the back of the room.
But, blonde and bright eyed Samantha takes my hand.
She helps me prove to eighth grade farm boys
That Nursery Rhymes are cool.
Her "baaa" turned giggle echoes through the gym and forever in my heart
As 400 kids laughed and cheered her on.
Three girls set like tri-colored gems
In the crown of my heart.
Copyright © 1999 by wendi loomis. |