on legacies and elder wisdom, oral histories and how to tell a tale.
we all know the simple words
the ones we learned first
when an apple was an apple
and not ruby globe of nike
or crimson drop of springtime love
or some other egotistical
turn of phrase
that we thought might
make us sound like more
than we are
or that we fear
the elderly have no more illusions
drifted off like dead skin
they are free
turning to eternity
finally, with smiles
for all the disgruntlement
they speak deep words
to young ears
but simply
reminding us as they taught us
long ago
when apple was apple
and mama meant love
and dada was the first humor
between teachers, creating