“There—Out There/ There—In There”
“There.”
A word you can hardly hear
and not think about place:
on the key ring
on the table
at the farm with the windmill
at the lake with the sandbar
near the city with the tall buildings.
A gymnasium on a Sunday afternoon.
“There.”
A word you can hardly say
and not point your finger
in some direction:
by that tree
just over that hill
over the centerfield wall
up in the hayloft
standing by the man in the tan coat.
Your place in the processional.
“There.”
It’s a word you can hardly read
And not think of some other:
person you had hoped would come
places that you might be right now
project that will be waiting tomorrow
“There.”
A word that invites prepositions to take its side
all the while propositioning us
for our attention, our affection, our allegiance.
And how many times have you been
Invited to consider “out there”
reminded of the “out there” to come
challenged by “out there” while wrestling with “in here?”
“In there” is where you need to live
for a span of time longer
than it will take to read every name
than a metal chair will have to hold your frame
than the cautious hug you give your favorite teacher
than the countdown before the family photo.
“In there.”
the Spanish word for “home.”
the symbol for gold and silver.
a wood on a snowy evening.
a moment in time when a country was defined.
a still life you can see when you close your eyes.
a teacher who frightened you on your first day
a teacher who listened to something you had to say
a teacher who might have pointed a way. . .
There.
Take a moment to look in there.
Don’t dawdle or daydream in the line.
Don’t miss your name when it is called.
Watch your step as you cross the stage.
Take a moment to look at every face you see. . .out there.
All of this.
Not “out there.”
In There.
In there is
a moment, a memory, and a monument
a locker, a lesson, and a legacy
a class, a community, and a course
a grade, a grade point average, and a graduation.
And when you know what’s in there
then you can begin there.
Begin there.
With what is in there.
“There.”