Your Basic Beat

I am teaching my daughter to drum

This is the walking beat
I tell her

This is the first beat you should learn

It helps you to establish a rhythm
It encourages you to use both hands
It gives you a basic beat to build from

This is boring
She tells me

I am teaching my daughter to grow

This is honesty
I tell her

This is the first value you should learn

It helps you to see things clearly
It encourages you to be true to yourself
It gives you a solid belief to build from

This is boring
She tells me

I am teaching my daughter to love

This is self-respect
I tell her

This is the first feeling you should learn

It helps you to love yourself
It encourages you to love others
It gives you the freedom to say no

This is boring
She tells me

I am teaching my daughter to love
and respect herself

I am teaching my daughter to trust
and to be real

I am teaching my daughter to use
both hands to love others
to be free to see things clearly
to grow to drum

This is boring
She tells me

This is your basic beat
I tell her

This is the first beat you should learn

Published in The Woman in theMirror: An Anthology of Women Celebrating Women, 2004

Reviews

[Una Xoto]

God, I am in love with your words... You always know the perfect words to string together to flow & aim. This is amazing like the rest of your work. Awesome. Into my library it goes...