For the brave boys whose words amaze and surprise me…

Young voices gush into notebooks,

flooding pages with depth and meaning.

Whispers become louder,

turning into confident shouts

as they play around with words,

begin to trust their innate wisdom,

aware, for maybe the first time,

that they have something to say.

Sometimes their passion feels so fragile

I fear it will snap or shrink or retreat,

so I hold my breath

            hoping…hoping…hoping

it will take root,

then sprout into the words

that will ignite their young hearts.