PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

(this is my own kind of version of 'i too, sing america' by langston hughes) 

~

i too, am learning.

in the morning, the yellow school bus takes me.

i sit in the front and i talk to the driver

we make quiet conversation

but he always listens

i tell him,

next year

i will have to count my birthdays

on two hands

rather than one

our class used to go outside for recess

i liked finding rocks and making stories

but now the doors have locks

big

metal

and the windows have shades

black

miserable

and the teachers have faces uneasy.

and we are all wondering why.

later the bus took me home

the driver laughed

he said my backpack was bigger than me

but he too seemed

uneasy

and inside

my dad stood watching the television-

choosing to watch-

and he was crying

at last,

someone told me about the locks, and the shades, and the faces

i don’t have to wonder anymore

the monster that resides under my bed

seems like less of a foe now,

for my mind, though small, is occupied

wondering if i will get to talk to the yellow bus driver

on the way home from school today

or if this morning will be the last

and i have learned

i too, am Afraid.