Included me
Excluded me
Helped me understand human nature
You were always there for me
School did that for us
It offered us a kind of consistency, reliability, predictability
Shared experience
You witnessed my successes
And my awkward, failed attempts
Your growth accompanied my growth
Our life lived in the hallway between classes
Your family was like my family
But different
I knew your house, stood inside your back door,
entered and smelled your family’s home cooking;
heard arguments, new radio frequencies;
discovered coconut and curry
Your invitation expanded my world
As we anticipate this summer’s gathering of class-mates
We look at ourselves
Nearly forty years later
We wonder at how we will be seen
We know so much more
Today
More than we could have imagined
Back then
There is deep comfort
In returning ‘home’
to those who knew me before I became who I am
-Janet Walker-