Sometimes when I face-time

with my toddler grandchildren,

I have this urge to read the small

books of their hearts—

just to know what emotions flood

their universe, for which they haven’t

the right vocabulary yet. There is

so much depth in those little avid eyes,

trying to make sense of this complicated

world. Old souls in those young bodies,

and laden with frustrations—

or is it me imposing mine on them—

my childhood of being silenced— no

words until I learned to pick up a pen,

and speak to a blank page, trying to come

to terms with my daily bewilderments.

My grandchildren will be different

their parents taught them right,

and for this and so much more, I’m

impatient for our next rendez-vous.

Diana Raab, MFA, PhD, is a memoirist, poet, workshop leader, thought-leader and award-winning author of 14 books and editor of three anthologies. Her work has been widely published and anthologized. Her newest memoir is Hummingbird: Messages from My Ancestors (Modern History Press, 2024). Raab writes for Psychology Today, The Good Men Project, Sixty and Me, Medium, and is a guest writer for many others. Visit: https:/www.dianaraab.com.