poem for my cousin although she won't know it...

My cousin's eldest daughter graduated High School a few weeks ago. She remained in her hometown, in the house of family friends, while she finished her senior year. My cousin's husband had been transferred to a state many hours away, and as a family, they agreed to let her stay behind, in the school she loved, with people who would continue to love her like a daughter in their absence. I don't want to think of the pain this caused my cousin and her husband, but I am proud of their daughter for continuing to excell in academics and athletics, and who is ready to go on to her life in college and beyond. Her rhythm is already something to see; what wonders are in store for us ahead?

Raise a glass of something cool (hey, it's hot here in Carolina) to my cousin, and all the graduates of 2006:

the drum

daddy says the world
is a drum tight
and hard
and i told him
i'm gonna beat out
my own rhythm

----nikki giovanni