the way forward?

to escape the darkness into the light

the car starts to roll by,

stops,

the window rolls down,

the parent within introduces self to me

and starts to thank me

for my efforts to know their child,

to support their child,

to work to partner with the parents

to both see the child

and help them find the path forward,

a way to resist the doubt that sirens to the young person,

to find a path they can walk

that escapes the darkness that works to swallow them,

from both of us tears work to force their way out,

as only emotional hijacking can seem to fit the moment,

the stakes are too great for us to trust

that any hand we can be dealt

will be strong enough

so that the child we love will win,

that the child will beat the odds 

that seem to stacked against them,

the tears that come forth are as much of hope as despair,

yet the tears force us to know how important these moments are,

how much we love the child

how much we hope for the way forward to become visible

and followed.

by Henry H. Walker

February 26, ‘21