Friday, October 2, 2009

Belinda: Rest Stop


May, 2009

"Do you know when I first saw you, Belinda?"

She shakes her head.

"You were so little, first grade, and only six years old. I saw you at the Heritage Day Celebration, do you remember this? You were chosen to introduce your class and the song you were all going to sing. You stood on tiptoe at the microphone and in a clear, perfect voice you made the announcement.

"I grabbed your teacher and asked, 'Who is that?' And she said, 'That's Belinda.' And I said, 'I want her in The Shakespeare Club,' but I had to wait for two years for you to get to third grade and then you played Juliet because you have so much talent...Belinda...Belinda?"

Asleep.


Because she didn't know what the best day was — she shrugged.
Because she couldn't remember a best meal — she blinked.
Because she couldn't imagine a perfect friend, a delicious bath or a night's sleep without:
"Belinda this and Belinda that."
Because it took so much effort to even think such things —
I waited for answers that didn't come.
In the rear-view mirror I watched her brown eyes droop and close.
I turned down the car radio, her head lolled to one side and I knew the best I could do was to stop the asking.
Let her sleep — maybe today she'd find the best of something.



CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry
Well iM still young but when I grow up I want to travel around the world. I don’t just want to travel by plane I want to also travel by books. Like 1 time I went to Paris but I Forgot what book I read because it was when I was small. I also want to go by my Dreams!

I ♥ My Dreams!
—Susan, 5th grade

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