After this post,
My friend Katie inspired me
To think about some of the things
I never wanted to learn.
But I got to learn anyway.

So here are a few:

I’ve learned
How to clean something
Out of the carpet
In the middle of the night
When I’m so tired
I can’t see straight.

I’ve learned
What happens
When a child
Pours melted candle wax
Into a sink drain
And then turns on
The cold water.

I’ve learned
What Easy Mac smells like
When someone microwaves it
But they forgot the water.
And how many days
That smell lasts
In a house.

I’ve learned
That a 14-gallon trash bag
Doesn’t make a good
Water balloon.
In the hallway.

I’ve learned
What happens
When you keep
A praying mantis
Captive in a jar
For days
And feed it nothing but
Dead wasps and dragonflies.

I’ve learned
What happens
When someone
Throws a swimsuit
Up onto a light fixture
And the mesh melts
To the lightbulb.

I’ve learned
How to take care of people
Of different ages
With a fever
Concussion
Broken bones
Stitches
Strep throat
Infections
Croup.

I’ve learned
How to better understand
Someone who has ADHD
And how they see the world.
And how to coordinate
A 504 plan with their school
To accommodate their needs better.

I’ve learned
Lots of things
About health-related issues
And different modalities
To manage them.

I’ve learned
About the frustration
That comes with
Limiting food groups
In an attempt to
Accommodate various conditions.

I’ve learned
About the grief
That comes from
Divorced parents;
And about the grief
That comes from
Losing a parent;
And a grandparent;
And a sibling.

And I’ve learned a lot
By having children
Who must learn
Their own list
Of things
That they never
Wanted to learn.

I’ve learned
Lots of things
About shame and guilt
And childhood trauma
And emotional maturity.

I’ve learned
A lot about
What can help someone
With depression
And anxiety.

But along with all those things
That I never wanted to learn,
I also learned:

About how
Light is greater
Than darkness.

And about how
Goodness is bigger
Than evil.

And about how
Love really can
Conquer anything.

And I’m actually really glad
I got to learn that.

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