Needless to say, I have just discovered a love of polar bears. They are so cute and playful. I have never seen a wild animal look this happy in captivity. It was beautiful.

I Am From

I’m from a small neighborhood block,

Sandwiched between poverty and

Middle-class luxury.

We had front doors,

If only to hide the secrets;

Drug deals and whores.

I’m from wishing I could follow

The happy tune of that ice cream truck.

From laundry-basket sailboats

Instead of cable TV.

“Money doesn’t grow on trees,”

But food stamps buy our bread and milk.

I’m from growing up too fast –

Barbed wire, talking through glass, and

“Why can’t I sit on my daddy’s lap?”

To bringing my hero home,

Rich cheesecakes, unemployment,

And churches with doors closed to us.

I am from painted smiles that last

Only until the sun goes down.

And the faint promise of a better tomorrow.