Against Advice PAD 21-3

 

I don’t know what to do.

Then do this.

And they do the opposite.

Against Advice PAD 21-2

 

Kids

 

We tell them over and over,

“Be kind to one another.”

And our advice

flies over their heads

like soaring eagles.

I guess adults do that, too.

Against Advice PAD 21-1

 

Mothers’ Advice

 

As a young mom,

my mother-in-law said,

“Let the baby cry.”

 

My mom said,

“Don’t let the baby cry.”

 

With my own mistakes,

I bumbled through.

 

And by God’s grace,

my kids survived.

Metaphor PAD 20-3

 

Reading and Writing

 

Reading

The jet that flies you

to faraway places

in the comfort

of your recliner.

 

The time machine

that transports you

back in time

to mingle with persons

of long ago.

 

The magic

that enables

you to explore fantastic

worlds and characters

no one has ever known.

 

The rocket ship

that launches you

to other planets

Mars, Jupiter, Neptune

and beyond.

 

Writing makes you

the pilot of the jet,

the mad scientist of the time machine

the magician of the magic,

and the astronaut to outer space.