summer reading

a wish

if only we allowed children to build our houses
they would be bright bright yellow
the doors would be smiley faces
the windows would be blue wind
flowers parading and holding hands
would accompany the walkways
the roofs steep and orange
would lift toward the heavens
if only we allowed children to build our houses
the sun would shine everyday
rain would be a blessing
trees would grow more colorfully
the grass wold be taller
more birds would fill the sky
more birds would fill the sky
if only we allowed children to build our houses
if only we allowed children to build our houses
every picture would be a song
every movement a dance
every moment the eternal
every heart a gift
if only we allowed children to build our houses
we would have reached so many moons so many stars by now

Tryfon Tolides


Complete the following:

1) If only we allowed children to build our schools...


PS. Poem is from Shapes (Spring , 1999) Manchester Community-Technical College's art and literary magazine. A book of his work is avaiable: T. Tolides (2006). An Almost Pure Empty Walking. New York: Penguin Books.