You decide

Was it privilege or pride?

Poverty or prosperity?

Let’s look inside and see.

In 1924

Little Grace entered Life’s door.

Tiny father

Tiny mother

Six sisters

Six brothers

All were giants in her eyes.

Her life became bigger, to their surprise

She didn’t like school

Often broke the rules

But she had important goals

A child selling onions, radishes door to door

Many doors slammed on the girl who looked poor

One needed cash

To build her stash

Books and words she treasured

By them, a life she measured

Poetry, novels, all the great ones

Masters of wordplay and puns

She wrote her first story

A twelve-year-old writer! Oh, glory!

So many mouths to feed, poor father

So much love to give, dear mother

Little Grace, raised in the Word,

Longed to teach children what she had heard

And a teacher she became

Students around the world would know her name.

She’d write many more stories in her life and others

For rescuing students who failed,

Parents would offer praise and regale

Grace grew big in the eyes of the learned

They called her to travel, not spurn it

Her route to this honored place

Cost much in the life of Grace

She left her mark on me that remains

Which is why I pen these simple refrains

kjkidder 6/7/2020 9:51 am est