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A TUTOR’S BENCHMARK MEMORIES
I survived the unjust bombing of Hiroshima
for seven straight days-only to find myself in Nagasaki.
I endured Reagan’s cruel assault on the poor & waited patiently
for the “New Morning In America” that never came.
I slogged through Quang Nai to a village called My Lai, wondering
if the war really would end at 2:40 pm on January 26.
Meanwhile, bombs kept falling.
Wealth did not trickle down.
The ‘Nam would not let go.
All this happened in the Learning Center,
where whole files disappeared at the touch of a key
and emotions exploded like shrapnel (take cover!)
where students breathed deep, dug deeper, pressed on.
Did you know that flowers bloomed in Hiroshima that fall?
Have you noticed that Obama is sitting in Reagan’s old seat?
And in Vietnam, a former Viet Cong embraced me and said:
“It’s OK, the war is over. Let’s be friends.”
In this Victory Garden on the Fenway, the winter’s harvest has come in:
History explored.
Arguments made.
Challenges met.
Benchmarks conquered.
Pride felt,
as tired, excited students stream
from the hubbub of the lobby into the weekend, into their futures,
knowing in their hearts that
something happened here.
Boston Arts Academy