Unmasked
In the bathtub,
my grandson holds the corner
of the hunter green washcloth,
moving it slowly under the water –
“It’s a whale,” he tells me –
then picks it up to cover his face
where it clings for a moment,
heavy and dark,
and when he pulls it down
unmasked
magically he is metamorphosed
into his father at age three
in another house twenty-five years ago,
when my back felt somewhat stronger
as I leaned over to wash
the same blonde hair
dripping into blue eyes,
an identical expression
just for a moment
as he looks up
laughing,
reminding me, paradoxically,
of both what I have lost
and what I have gained.
A Change is Gonna Come
I.
Once again
streets fill with protestors,
in 1960s deja vue –
marchers hold hands, raise signs,
voices unite in chants
as police hurl tear gas and pepper spray,
non-violence shatters
with store-front windows.
We have seen this before.
We have done this before.
And yet, this time it feels different,
because it’s a global outcry,
from Minneapolis to Berlin,
Los Angeles to London,
New York City to Hong Kong,
and this time,
it isn’t centuries of repression
or years of an unpopular war
that lights the spark;
this time it’s just 8 minutes and 46 seconds
of a bystander’s video
to show that all we’ve done
isn’t enough,
isn’t even close to being enough,
and the time for change is now.
II.
In Missouri,
a young college graduate with insight and persistence,
convinces Merriam-Webster
to expand its definition of “racism”,
because it’s not enough to say
it’s simply personal prejudice
when the whole system is rigged,
when the oppression runs deep within society
no matter how hard you try.
Just one small change,
just one addition to an entry on a page
with over forty other words,
but a revision that reflects the true reality,
makes it harder to hide behind excuses,
broadens the perspective;
one small change
that is, nevertheless,
transformational.
A retired educator, Nancy Haskett is an active member of the poetry community in Modesto, CA. She is a member of the Ina Coolbrith Circle, MoSt (Modesto Stanislaus Poetry Center), and a local writing group. Nancy has presented her poetry at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock, CA; the Barkin’ Dog Second Tuesday Readings; the Modesto City Council chambers, and other places; she has been published in the anthology More than Soil, More than Sky; Stanislaus Connections; Penumbra; Homestead Review; Iodine Press; Song of the San Joaquin; The Pen Woman; Miller’s Pond and many more. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Unmasked
In the bathtub,
my grandson holds the corner
of the hunter green washcloth,
moving it slowly under the water –
“It’s a whale,” he tells me –
then picks it up to cover his face
where it clings for a moment,
heavy and dark,
and when he pulls it down
unmasked
magically he is metamorphosed
into his father at age three
in another house twenty-five years ago,
when my back felt somewhat stronger
as I leaned over to wash
the same blonde hair
dripping into blue eyes,
an identical expression
just for a moment
as he looks up
laughing,
reminding me, paradoxically,
of both what I have lost
and what I have gained.
A Change is Gonna Come
I.
Once again
streets fill with protestors,
in 1960s deja vue –
marchers hold hands, raise signs,
voices unite in chants
as police hurl tear gas and pepper spray,
non-violence shatters
with store-front windows.
We have seen this before.
We have done this before.
And yet, this time it feels different,
because it’s a global outcry,
from Minneapolis to Berlin,
Los Angeles to London,
New York City to Hong Kong,
and this time,
it isn’t centuries of repression
or years of an unpopular war
that lights the spark;
this time it’s just 8 minutes and 46 seconds
of a bystander’s video
to show that all we’ve done
isn’t enough,
isn’t even close to being enough,
and the time for change is now.
II.
In Missouri,
a young college graduate with insight and persistence,
convinces Merriam-Webster
to expand its definition of “racism”,
because it’s not enough to say
it’s simply personal prejudice
when the whole system is rigged,
when the oppression runs deep within society
no matter how hard you try.
Just one small change,
just one addition to an entry on a page
with over forty other words,
but a revision that reflects the true reality,
makes it harder to hide behind excuses,
broadens the perspective;
one small change
that is, nevertheless,
transformational.
A retired educator, Nancy Haskett is an active member of the poetry community in Modesto, CA. She is a member of the Ina Coolbrith Circle, MoSt (Modesto Stanislaus Poetry Center), and a local writing group. Nancy has presented her poetry at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock, CA; the Barkin’ Dog Second Tuesday Readings; the Modesto City Council chambers, and other places; she has been published in the anthology More than Soil, More than Sky; Stanislaus Connections; Penumbra; Homestead Review; Iodine Press; Song of the San Joaquin; The Pen Woman; Miller’s Pond and many more. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family.
