MAY OUR DESCENDANTS RISE
/from a conversation with gail about child rearing/
children have sophisticated eyes, naturally attentive ears
their thirsty souls are eager to be watered by the resplendent rain
of inspirational parental acts such as the dismantling of machines
& the patient crafting of toys from the clay of talk & touch
toddlers need to experience us naked, young shyness mesmerized
by us embracing our lovers without mercy, teenagers should be
intoxicated by inhaling the potency of our spirits regardless
of the paucity of our bank accounts, no matter how bad
our morning breath young folk need our kisses
& even when we are heartbroken our lineage should revel
in the defiance of our blues feet moving on unshackled
by the melodrama of self pity, buoyed by the spring
of steady stepping uplifting the flag of i regret nothing
i have freely given from the interior of my heart
we should show youth how to talk by listening to them
especially when they are not saying anything so-called important
the young need the sage splendor of old word givers
who are also faithful word keepers, brilliant
as collected droplets of mist forming elder rainbows
which axiomatically brighten youthful dawns
adults should exist with such tender sincerity that butterflies
alight on our shoulders as we face-down the narcissist
individuality of the west with unstinting love the hallmark
of how we handle the intimacy of intergenerational social relations
children respect truth no matter how horrible for
there are no lies we can tell to effectively shield little people
from the blows of our failures if we refuse to gift
them with the shelter of day to day realities fashioned
from the ephemeral material of our nightly dreams
our example should teach & teach hard that there is
no shame in valiant efforts to continue the struggle
regardless of the dearth of victories
may our inheritors never witness the grim visage
of a long list of don'ts beclouding our faces, rather
than cringe beneath the whip of non-permission
let our issue always experience the caress of encouragement
as they emerge from us dancing to the rhythms
of african fierceness bodacious as sun licks planting
a tongue kiss on the blackness of life's big lips
—kalamu ya salaam