Paul raises more curtains
than his house possesses.
It requires him to open more doors
than neighborhood walls hang.
All of this effort to help Ellie
shatter a glass ceiling or two
with nothing more than a couple
of rose petals and crown of rose thorns.
It is not woke culture.
It is not cancel culture.
It is giving a friend a leg up
to combat systemic inequalities.
It is a little bit breaking and entering
to let natural light shine in.
It is paying it forward.
It is payback for the factory floor.
It is a risk-benefit analysis put in play.
It is a piñata bottom line.
copyright © 2021 Kenneth P. Gurney
postscript
The title is a direct take from Dr. Seuss’ book Oh, the Places You’ll Go, which is a popular graduation present for parents to give their children entering adulthood. I mean to say I received my copy after university graduation a long time ago.
Umflop 