Under the Streetlight

The boys are ahead of us as we linger a little
and talk about life and philosophy. Joel has
an interesting mind and I enjoy his perspective. 

He has studied with a Native American shaman
and has been to ashrams in India. Suddenly, for no
reason we can see, his boy smacks my son in the face.

My son turns to him and asks, Do you know how that
makes me feel? Joel looks at me and says, Wow, what
unusual poise he has in his response to being slapped.

We wait to see what will happen next. His son,
a boy about 5 years old, stops and replies, No,
how does that make you feel?

Under a streetlight on this warm October evening,
our boys sit down on a curb and talk about their feelings.
I think about my son and his gentle ways. 

I count my blessings.

Emily Black, a civil engineer, always dabbled in writing. Now she has taken up poetry writing with serious intent. She’s fortunate to have found an amazing teacher who’s given her the wings to soar like an eagle! “A humble eagle,” she says, “who appreciates being taught how to write with the eyes of an eagle, the heart of a lion, the perseverance of a mountain goat and the memory of an elephant, at least about things that matter.” Her work has been published in numerous journals.