When I met him
Tuesday. The social worker arrives at the Los Angeles Park. He scrambles out of the back seat and laughs excitedly. He inspects the bag with the stuffed elephant, Spider Man ball and Tonka truck. His eyes turn to the grassy park and he wants to run. We follow. Catch me. Gales of laughter. So little. Strong. Catch me. Over the rubber hills. So fast. Catch me. Gales of laughter. Up and down the slide. Catch me. Climbs the jungle gym. Caught him. Screeching laughter. The laughter morphs to tears. Walk back to the social worker, the stuffed elephant, Spider-Man ball and Tonka trunk. Soft trunk sounds. Tears and soft laughter. Departs with social worker and toys.
Thursday. A knock at the door. The social worker and my new son. Observant, vigilant, delayed in speech, almost four. All his belongings in two garbage bags. We are not the first or second home. Somber and proud. He marches in. Squinted eyes inspect pictures on the walls. The furniture. Good bye to the social worker. Pees on the floor. Cries. Let’s play chase. Catch me. Run. Gales of laughter.
(Photo by Johnny Cohen on Unsplash)
About the Author
Julie Bolt is an educator, writer and mother of a college student. She is an Associate Professor of English at Bronx Community College at The City University of New York. Her scholarly book is called Border Pedagogy for Democratic Practice. Her poems have appeared in The Raven’s Perch, Home Planet News, Shot Glass Journal, New Verse News, Scissors and Spackle, Writing in a Women’s Voice, The Red River Review, Slow Trains, Poetic Diversity, and Zygote in my Coffee, amongst others. She has been a featured reader in NYC, LA, and Malta. She is active in the NYC Poetry Circuit. Julie is currently an Andrew W Mellon fellow in Transformative Learning in the Humanities.
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