Nuclear Privilege
Some may say my path was paved
My skin color made it so.
Others claim I walked the easy way
Thanks to my XY chromosomes.
Those things may be true, how can you actually know…
But they appear as molehills in a valley next to the mountainous
peak my perch was placed by my parents.
A perspective of true privilege. See
After fifty plus years, they still love each other
And I reap the benefit.
Mom was like…
“Work before play” and
“Good things come to those who wait” and
“Nothing good ever happens after midnight”
And I was like…
“Please come sit down, Mom. We don’t want to eat dinner without you.”
Dad was like…
“Hey, be cool” and
“You want five across your lips?!” and
“Thanks, kiddo!”
And I was like…
“My finger got lost in your belly button!”
She showed me how to steal humility from vanity’s clutch
What loyalty actually looks like
And that it’s ok to cry when your heart is touched.
He showed me how to cheer your support
What family-first actually looks like
And that if you laugh hard enough at your own jokes
other people will laugh with you…
Or at you. But nobody’s keeping score.
They stuck together, in better & worse, sickness & health
through the peaks & valleys, the highs & the lows, the rivers & roads…
Shielding us kids from the 99 problems that every faithful marriage endures.
I never wondered whether or not they loved me, or each other
It wasn’t a question of my heart.
My childhood was built upon a rock.
What I didn’t know then that I do know now…
Is just how rare that rock was.
We’re talkin:
Winning Powerball ticket, rare
Cubs take the pennant, rare
Mr. C’s prime rib just how you like it, rare.
What I took for granted growing up…
(That invisible base layer of unity)
(That starter for a great pot of sauce)
that should be the normal childhood experience.
But, tragically, it isn’t.
So, thanks Mom and Dad. For the privilege.