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The book The House of the World has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and is now available on Amazon.

The First Thing in Life

“When I grow up
I won’t be able to play anymore.”
So Jackie said,
in the middle of childhood,
on October 25, 2003,
in the middle of eternity,
next to forever’s window.
Playing trains on the carpet
with Papa,
who was taking lessons in playing,
with Jackie,
chief engineer of the railroad.

I rallied my forces.
I let out my breath.
“That’s not so Jackie,” I said,
“I play don’t I?”, moving a car,
trembling inside.
What had he seen?
My neediness to play?
Or the whole world
crowding around the island of children?
The vastness of its playground?
Too big for play?
Whatever.

I determined to play,
to laugh,
to show him my joy,
and be the best playmate
I could be,
and we played
as if nothing had passed.
The first thing in life,
being a child,
and with care
the last.

Published inIndex of all Poems