‘Wise Enough’ by Lisa Stice

for Sylvia Ashton-Warner

Take your own time –

Some books have taken me years
to read. Like Ulysses for instance.
I have begun it at least a dozen
times, put it down, then returned
to the spot I marked. Last year,
I came to the end, but still can’t
claim to have really read that book.

Run your fingers along the lines –

And now, my daughter learns to
read, stretching out and chunking
words to come to familiar sounds.
I flip flash cards, and she recites
sight words. On signs and such, she
likes to point out the words she knows
and make sentences just like in school.

Ask questions –

I ask, What is the setting? Who
are the characters and why do they
act the way they do? I ask, Could
this really happen or is this all
just fiction? I ask, How will the
problem be solved? I ask, What
do you think will happen next?

From issue #9: autumn/winter 2019

About the Author
Lisa Stice is a poet/mother/military spouse. She is the author of two full-length collections, Permanent Change of Station (Middle West Press, 2018) and Uniform (Aldrich Press, 2016), and a chapbook, Desert (Prolific Press). She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, daughter and dog. Visit lisastice.wordpress.com and facebook.com/LisaSticePoet.