I ask,
Where did you find your courage?
On what tree was it hanging
that you could reach up
and pluck it from its hiding place
to wear as epaulettes
on your shoulders?

The children whisper during the night,
saying their Aves to each other,
hoping they will grow into courage
with a red badge to wear.

You say,
They are blinded.
They cannot see their milky courage
like cream rising to the top;
one day to surge
through alerted senses
that call for unthinkable strength.

They have been practicing every day
since they were born.
They will learn that courage
comes with each breath taken
and like the freedom they take for granted
must be won every day.
One day they will find it wears

like a second coat of paint.

July, 2013
Veronica