I saw a man pushing a stroller today.
With one hand. And, tightly grasped in the other,
a beautiful baby boy. The man wore a backpack.
Strapped across him like a harness.
He is a student, returning I guess, looked about thirty or so.
I saw him on the way to my women’s studies class.
A man.
Pushing a stroller.
And the thing about Universities is this,
that they are home to ignorant bliss.
The ignore-ers, if you will, in all shapes and sizes,
all strange and loud and colorful.
And in all the commotion, he caught my attention.
As an elephant would, he caught my attention.
This man. Pushing a stroller. Holding a baby.
What is this? I thought smiling.
Yes, this was a sight to see.
See, his thoughtful eyes locked on those which resembled his own.
What a beautiful baby boy.
But, it was not the baby, with his wide eyes and happy
open mouth that struck me.
Not the stroller, moving through the halls like a bull dozer, which
silly students made an aisle for. Not even the bag tugging at his back,
like an evil hand, or the great divide. But his smile,
that he gave to his baby boy as he walked the halls of this
university, like a man strolling in a park with a
sacred prize. And, how his thoughtful eyes gazed
into those soft, precious, tiny eyes that resembled his own.
This man. This student. This father, was proud. This was a dad.
And I don’t suppose He looks at us differently.