Little Jackson is Now One

by Ernie McCray

The other day,
I kicked back in the sun,
in the spacious backyard
of my son’s new home,
celebrating
my little grandson Jackson’s
first year around the sun,
with family and friends,
and some of my other grandchildren,
mellow music playing in the background,
margaritas and juices available
for everyone,
delicious food sizzling on the grill,
gleeful sounds of young ones playing
and Jackson trying to keep up with them,
the air filled
with friendly conversations
about everything under the sun,
some of it
about the chaos
that characterizes our nation,
most of it, though, on this occasion,
upbeat,
about keeping our head
and doing whatever we can,
small or grand,
to survive whatever lies ahead
in days to come.

I’d call that
one delightful hope-inspiring day
in the sun,
a nice birthday celebration
for Jackson.

I’ll spend the rest of my days
trying to create a better world
for him and future generations.