Today’s Special

To find a voice. To find a voice
in a crowd so exceptionally loud.
Young, old, and beautiful.
Takes me years back
to a classroom
and the lessons from there
I chose to remember,
of words and wisdom and wisecracks.

Now I’m served stories
of love and loss and learning.
All accompanied by
tremendous applause
or appreciative clicking of fingers. Maybe even a hug
or a hearty handshake.
Now that’s community.
That’s solidarity.

I put some dressing
on my word salad
in an effort to make it
presentable, to give it some
cohesion. Then I’ll serve it,
to which I’ll say…
thank you.