Why Participate in DI? Maybe Tomorrow…

 

Maybe Tomorrow…

© Lindy Redmond 

New York State Challenge Master for Instant Challenges

“Me do it, ” said the two year old,
“Mom, me will do it now,”
“Oh no, my dear,” she replied,
“I must show you how!”
“Let me try it,” he called at three,
“Let me make my bed,”
“No, you will have some lumps in it,
Color this instead.”

So she placed the coloring book
Near him on the table,
“Now try to color in the lines
The best that you are able.”
“But Mom, I want to draw the world
And all the butterflies,
I want to make the mountains tall
And make rainbows in the skies.”

“Color carefully,” she replied,
“And color the flowers red,
Color all the sky light blue
Stay in the lines,” she said.
And as a four year old one day
His shoes he tried to tie,
His father said, “I’ll teach you how
And later YOU can try.”

And so it was, from birth to five,
The others told him HOW,
They gave restraints and set the laws
Of what they would allow.
Then one day the yellow bus
Came right up to his door,
The little boy thought for sure
That NOW he could explore.

He now could dream and imagine
And experiment on his own,
He could paint HIS colors
And investigate all alone.
He could soar to the highest mountains,
He could dream in his mind,
He could nuture his talents,
His gifts he now could find.

The teacher came into his room
And greeted everyone,
“Take out your crayons and paper”, she said,
“We’re going to have some fun.”
“Use this tracer to make a bunny
And neatly print your name,
They’ll all be brown with big long ears,
They’ll all look just the same.”

“But I don’t want my bunny
To stand up straight and tall,
I want him crouched among the grass
And to be white…that’s all.”
“They’ll all look nicer if we keep
Them looking alike too,
Now please sit down and start your work
We have a lot to do.”

So slowly now he took his seat,
His eyes had lost their thrill,
He now knew just what he would face,
Monotony and drill.
“Maybe later”, thought the lad,
“She’ll let me make my own,
Maybe tomorrow I can paint
My picture all alone.”

So on the next clear morning
They took their crayons out,
“Oh boy, I’ll make the sky all orange
I’ll be different without a doubt.”
“Color carefully,” she replied,
“And color the flowers red,
Color all the sky light blue
Stay in the lines,” she said.

“Maybe tomorrow… Maybe never…”
Thought the boy
As he began to color
The sky light blue.