TBT: The Manling
High upon this cable I sit
and watch you all go by
as I chuckle, just a bit,
about how hard you try.
You rush around in clanky machines,
going as fast as you can,
almost like the gingerbread man,
who ran and ran and ran.
Abruptly my merriment ends,
for there, across the street,
stands a child, staring at me,
the opposite of discreet.
He can tell what I am thinking,
yes, oh yes, he knows.
He can see it on my face,
it all so plainly shows.
I can see that he agrees with me;
yes, they are too tense.
The way they all bustle about,
it’s like they have no sense!
As the little one walked away,
standing straight and tall.
He felt great satisfaction;
he had found a friend after all!
With my birdy-brain I puzzle
over this uncommon thing.
His expression, which said so much,
had such a true and honest ring.
This manling seems so wise
for such a young age.
I wonder why all these full-growns
are not near so sage?
Background:
I was in my last year of middle school when I wrote this piece. I remember often feeling frustrated with how adults sometimes talked to or about children, knowing that my youth (and relatively sheltered upbringing) meant I had less experience-based knowledge than most adults, but also understanding intuitively that there is more than one kind of knowledge or intelligence. The way I saw adults acting also contributed to that frustration, I’m sure. I remember being hyperaware of inconsistencies and hypocrisy and constantly assessing which adults I could consider reliable and authentic, especially based on how they treated people under their authority.
Maybe this poem was, in part, an expression of my desire for the intelligence of children to be acknowledged.
As an adult, I am thankful for that perspective from childhood and for the added nuance of the other side - how difficult it can feel as an adult to maintain humility and competence. Sometimes we are faced with temptation to be overly assertive in an attempt to make sure events go smoothly and as we think they should go. Or to do this in order to appear more “in charge” in certain situations. Balance is difficult!
Hopefully, as adults we will remember several things:
That we were once children, too.
That, compared to God, we are all children, all miniscule in understanding and power.
That different circumstances and different children will require different aspects of us - firm and in-charge, no questions asked or slowed down and open to answering questions, and innumerable other modes.
That we are not actually in control of anything other than ourselves, and our behavior should reflect that. We can’t force anyone, including children, to do anything and do it willingly, but we CAN ask God for guidance and take steps to try to be people who are worthy of being followed as we teach young ones to do the same.
That God is THE ultimate adult and He is not variable and inconstant, but He is complex and multifaceted. He understands all nuances and He gives each child exactly what they and the circumstance need.
On an unrelated note, have you ever noticed a bird looking at you? What do you imagine they were thinking?
Wishing you goodness without end,
Jess