Shoulders Poem by Naomi Shihab Nye

Shoulders

Rating: 2.9


A man crosses the street in rain,
stepping gently, looking two times north and south,
because his son is asleep on his shoulder.

No car must splash him.
No car drive too near to his shadow.

This man carries the world's most sensitive cargo
but he's not marked.
Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE,
HANDLE WITH CARE.

His ear fills up with breathing.
He hears the hum of a boy's dream
deep inside him.

We're not going to be able
to live in this world
if we're not willing to do what he's doing
with one another.

The road will only be wide.
The rain will never stop falling.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Topic(s) of this poem: love
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Dutendra Chamling 29 October 2015

A bridge that connects past and future. Wonderful poem.

2 2 Reply
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Naomi Shihab Nye

Naomi Shihab Nye

St. Louis, Missouri
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