My Son, The Poet

I'm so proud of my son, Jonah! In sixth grade, he won second place in Moscow in the annual Pleiades Poetry competition. He's in 10th grade now, and we just heard that of hundreds of high school student entries, his poem, below, will be read by Robert Wrigley, Idaho's poet laureate, as one of the top five in this year's competition. There's a reception for those honored on April 26 at 3 p.m. at the 1912 Center, and you bet we'll be there.

Jonah's given me permission to print the poem, "Hope," that so impressed the judges. He wrote it on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009 --

The cynic's hope
So fragile and pathetic; a wet cat after a bath
A frightened, messy creature that hides itself
Waiting to raise its head
Waiting to show its pale angry face to the sun
Pulling open its shut eyes
On walks to the store with pretty friends
Inaugurations and that quiet moment before you step out in the morning
In new shoes or your first day without braces
A million times a day
The cynic fights to keep weak and feeble hope caged by suspicion
Anger and regret
But hope cracks open and hope bleeds through the fixed wall of disappointment
Drips on the day
And leaves it with a shine

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My Dad would have been so proud of his grandson, and we thank God for the many gifts he's given Jonah.