who we are

at the heart, remain the same

the universe repeats its lessons

and I get something new as well as old each time,

who we are intrigues me,

at every step of development I sense a wholeness,

and at the next step 

it’s easy to imagine the wholeness

as fuller, or deeper, or surer,

or to imagine the newborn as a blank slate

upon which experience writes,
the four year-old with skills 

of reading and math and socializing--rudimentary,

the seven year-old’s increasing sureness still a work in progress,  

each, though, to me, seems complete in themselves,

and growing-up more revelatory of that completeness

than moving past a partialness,

the middle school kids I teach have been themselves since birth,

and the years can add nuance more than shape,

much of the time what I hope for

is for each to remember themselves

as the child who first goes forth

as inquisitive and joyous and sure,

the changes development can bring can also add weight to carry,

blockages between the trueness of self and the world,

the more things change,

the more who we are at heart should remain the same,

our new grandson, Max, is already who he is,

it excites me to envision his getting to know himself,

and us getting to know him.

by Henry H. Walker
December 30, ’12