Suppose You Were the Only One
Suppose
you were the only one who knew:
Your
father liked to listen to freight trains passing his house when he was a boy.
At
night he’d lie his blonde head down & listen to the trains rattling along
the tracks
and
he’d count the long line of cars until he became drowsy and dreamed of trains.
Would
you tell your son?
Suppose
you were the only one who knew:
Your
mother was a fearless freckled girl who loved to roller skate.
She
lived in New York City and raced along the neighborhood sidewalks
with
her long red hair flying as she jumped the cracks and laughed.
Would
you tell your daughters?
Suppose
you were the only one who knew:
Your
tall dark haired grandfather liked to do magic tricks.
He
kept shiny coins ready in his vest pocket and a smile on his face,
ready
to make those coins appear & disappear and make children laugh.
Would
you tell your grandson?
Suppose
you were the only one who knew:
Your
grandmother had long strawberry blonde hair.
She
washed it with rainwater and brushed it one hundred strokes every night
and
when she told you your hair was just like hers it made you feel very special.
Would
you tell your granddaughter?
Suppose
you were the only one who knew:
Your
Irish great grandfather loved St. Patrick’s Day.
He’d
throw open all the windows of their New York City apartment
and
he’d pound out Irish songs on their piano as he sang along & music floated
out to the street.
Would
you tell your nieces and nephews?
Suppose
you were the only one who knew:
Your
great grandparents in Ohio wrote love letters to each other.
She
wrote about sewing and stringing popcorn for the tree & he wrote of
planting and carpentry,
And
love spilled out between the words.
Would
you tell your cousins?
Suppose
you were the only one who knew the family stories.
Would
you pick up a pen?
Colleen
G. Brown Pasquale
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