If I could write a story
It would be about a boy
It would be about a choice
It would be about love.
And in the story about the boy
And his love
He would buy a dog
And name him Rafa—
Because he eats tennis balls
And the boy speaks Spanish
And the boy and his love and his dog
Would be together on the day of his choice
The day would be normal
The end of school promising freedom and fun
The morning would begin
With cereal, flip flops, and a shrug
When Mama asks him what he is thinking
He feeds the dog, hugs him with a surer hug then
He hugged his love the day before,
And leaves for his first class taught
by churlish Mr. C
bringing Rafa despite the rules
Then the story would become
A parable about ethics, choices
When his love came along
And the boy would choose
Perfectly
Because despite rules and imperfection
In this world
This boy would do what we all want
him to do.
And the boy would not be a cliché
Because few choose to love the way
The boy knew how to.
And Rafa would bark and bounce
And the boy would be real,
And the love would be real,
And the story would end
With the boy, the dog, and the love
Walking into my life
For good.
Word Play 