In these currents of society
I wade against the push and pull of popularity.
I'd rather my children learn to climb a tree than a ladder.
There is an honesty in the fear of limbs and winds
and learned agility when it comes to topping a tree.
But, for the child on a ladder
every rhyme for a rung ends
with a parent pointing to the ground
every next step up is questioned
by an adult who’s forgotten
and more fearful is the question
of the human blankly up smiling
down at the bottom desperately
hopefully holding on.
And this is why I am able to trust
a tree is more stable than the latter.
