LEARN

Listen child -
As you walk this road,
There will be those who walk with you.

Some will make you smile -
So familiar their essence…
....So soothing…..
.......Like an old quilt on a winters day.
They enjoy the same music..
Hold the same views…
Love the same kind of art and literature.
They laugh at your silly jokes,
And understand you…..
In more ways than you understand yourself.

These we will call friends -

But there are others…..

In their presence
You feel no affinity.
They are frustrating…
Ignite your anger..
..Set you back…
....Try your patience,
........Frighten you --
Their language is unfamiliar
And their values collide with yours.

These we will call teachers.

Friends are cozy...
Teachers are not.

Pay attention...
....They are made in your own likeness -
......See yourself...
……….and learn.

Victoria -2006

Painting: Apples and Orange -by Justin