To live in this world (Naomi Shihab Nye)

  A man crosses the street in rain, 

stepping gently, looking two times north 

and south, 

because his son is asleep on his shoulder. 

            

No car must splash him. 

No car drive too near to his shadow. 

            

This man carries the world’s most sensitive cargo 

but he’s not marked. 

Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE, 

HANDLE WITH CARE. 

            

His ears fill up with breathing. 

He hears the hum of a boy’s dream 

deep inside him. 

            

We’re not going to be able 

to live in this world 

if we’re not willing to do what he’s doing 

with one another. 

            

The road will only be wide. 

The rain will never stop falling. 

--Naomi Shihab Nye, Shoulders

Image source:  https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/ask-the-expert-our-toddler-wakes-three-times-a-night-1.2190651