Exotic Animals, Book for Children
Armadillo means "little armored one." Some of us become this to survive in our own countries. I would like to see an armadillo crossing the road. Our armor is invisible, it polishes itself. We might have preferred to be a softer animal, wouldn't you? With fur and delicate paws, like an African Striped Grass Mouse, also known as Zebra Mouse.
— Tiny Journalist by Naomi Shihab Nye (Page 20)
A man crosses the street in rain,
stepping gently, looking two times north and south,
because his son is asleep on his shoulder.
...
His ear fills up with breathing.
He hears the hum of a boy's dream
deep inside him.
We're not going to be able
to live in this world
if we're not willing to do what he's doing
with one another.
The road will only be wide.
The rain will never stop falling.
from "Shoulders" by Naomi Shihab Nye
I have to respond to this because it evoked the memory of walking across a few neighborhoods from a puppet show to a birthday party with my 3 year old son asleep on my shoulders, sheltered from the rain under an umbrella. It was a long walk and a bit awkward, but it was also easy once I got going. This was one of a few moments in my life when I felt completely fulfilled and at peace.
