I remember I had the careless urge/to lecture him/one day/ about civil rights/after he told me to pass/for white/and he said/I left home in a slave labor ship/cut cane/faced off death/disdain and pain beamed from/angry eyes/I’m not sure I ever apologized/for my mistaken arrogance/ignorance/all I could think was how far they came/and how carefree and almost easy/they looked on the way

They took care to send love/over miles/through uncertain days/they took pains to be present with each other/sent the reassurance of style and courage/faced every circumstance/with panache