i have this dream papa

 have this dream papa
of running across the field
to bring you home an armful
 of wood so we can cook
some rice for dinner tonight
i have this dream papa
of being taller than the grass
so i can carry the weight of the
vegetables you bring in sacks
kilos you carry for a mile
for a roof to live in is
worth more than my smile
i have this dream papa
that i'll own a good pair of slippers
so that my feet won't have to hurt
when i play in the afternoon sun
and maybe i can jump higher
and not hit the sharp rocks on the ground
i have this dream papa
that i'll carry home some books
to read to you from school one day
and walk the field thrilled to show
that my teacher gave my homework a bright red A 

i have this dream papa
that one day everything will work
i have this dream papa
that one day things will no longer hurt
i have this dream papa
that one day everything will shine
you and me and mama and all my siblings in time
will build a house on this field of grass
no more looking at what everyone has
no more wanting what everyone holds
no more dreaming dreams that are cold
i have this dream papa
and i will walk this field everyday
and i will grow up
and i will show you
i have this dream. 

discovered

she discovered me

like a rough cobblestone

laid in a tunnel

of shadows and light.

felt through the walls

of untold stories

the embrace of

a fragile hope

she walked in timid

steps and felt

through rubble

beneath her feet

the ground uneven

from journeys traveled

and becoming

a lifetime witness

of one’s unraveling.