I Wish

I wish every child would be woken up

 By a loving parent saying “Good morning, sunshine!”

I wish every child would have an option for breakfast

 A seat open on the bus

 And a smile from a friend when they walk through the school door

I wish bad wasn’t cool

  That we didn’t spend time defining ourselves with

  Clothes

  Music

  Hair color

  Or how much of a jerk we can be

I wish the bell wouldn’t ring every 50 minutes

  Signaling it is time to get up

   Then to sit down

I wish we understood that

  Sticks and stones break bones

  But words crush our souls

I wish every child carried a book

  With a beat-up bookmark

   That had their dreams written in ink on the back

I wish the test were written by elementary students

  Because you know

  Recess would be the first question

I wish the diploma

  Meant you have become the person you wanted to be

  That the three Rs included

 Reaching for your dreams

I wish every child would go home mentally tired

  Ready to spend time with family and friends

  And when it was time for bed

  The day would end with a story and a kiss

I wish I could do more then just wish…