He was taught to be up there,
that up there is better, always
better than down here. It start-
ed in church. Jesus is up there;
that’s where we want to be. It
continued in school; your brain
is up there; that’s where you
want to be. Church, school,
school, church. There was no
living down here or there, down,
down, down there, below the
waist, never there, never spoken
of down there, down to the dust,
but from dust we came and to
dust we shall return. It can’t
be all bad down there –no, here,
right here, in the dust, in the
sand, in the mud, in the water.
Feels pretty good between his
toes, it’s where it all grows.