Nape's Space

My 11 year old nephew wrote this poem the other day and I think it deserves recognition on the world wide web. I wont steal any more of your spotlight Nathan.

“I AM”
By: Nate

I am a Canadian boy who likes to jump
I wonder if the world will ever die
I hear rushing water in the wind
I see me in my old home
I want people to stop solving their problems with war
I am a Canadian boy who likes to jump

I pretend I am a Knight
I feel Smurfs should be red
I touch a frog when I jump
I worry everyone will go to the underworld
I cry when a pet dies
I am Canadian boy who likes to jump

I understand the Stars
I say Diamonds are purity
I dream I WILL change the world
I try to do my best
I hope I will be rich
I am a Canadian boy who likes to jump

For those of you who know my dad you will understand where I am coming from. For those of you who dont, I will explain. Well my dad is a pretty amazing guy who has faced alot of challenges in life. For the most part, he has learned not only to perservere, but to also contributed alot to this world. However, my dad has failed to gain any significant ground in one particular area, and that is vocabulary. He often mixes words up and uses words that dont even exist. In fact this is typical of most french canadians speaking english. One example is how he says "cellar phone" instead of "cellular phone". My sisters and I always bug him about that asking him if his phone only works in the basement. However my dad came up with a word today that may actually be a breakthough for the english language...and that word is...are you ready? Well its "equalibility." "Equalibility" is the "ability to be equal" as my dad puts it. It does not mean that you are equal to others or that you will ever be equal to others, rather it means that you have the potential to be equal. I love it. It is perfect for real world application. Poor people, minorities, single mothers, they all have equalibility, but will they ever achieve equality? Or will we ever allow them to achieve it? Who knows, but its possible. No matter what the politics of the word is, I can say that today my dad certainly surprised me.

One proud son. Dennis

“Look, he’s just a fucking coon! They’re all just a bunch of fucking coons down there anyways.” The words had entered my ears but I could not believe that I had actually heard them. I stood there in utter shock. I could not believe that a stranger would say that to me in a public place, or to anyone in anyplace. The shock wore off and I thought about how I would respond. I knew what he was talking about because he was pointing at the Toronto Star picture on the urinal wall of a black man in New Orleans begging a U.S National Guardsman for help. But I just had to ask. “Excuse me, what’s a coon?” “Oh”, he replied. “Well I’m from Texas and that’s what we call them down there.” “Call, what?” I asked. “Well, black people.” There was no turning back, “so, are all Texan’s racist like you?” “Oh, were not racist, that’s just how it is down there”, he replied. The conversation continued, “So if you’re not racist, what are you? I know what that so-called ‘coon’ is. He’s a human being that has just been made a refugee in the richest country in the world.” Like all bigots, he took stood the high ground, as it is the easiest way to look down on the “other.” “Well it’s they’re own fault cause they were told to leave. It’s not our fault they are too stupid to leave.” It was obvious that he truly believed in what he was saying and that was the saddest part about it. Perhaps that is the greatest tragedy of all. Hurricane’s may devastate a city and displace people, but bigots are much more dangerous as they destroy entire peoples. I told the guy he made me sick and walked out of the urinal. I didn’t know what else to say.