I pledge my head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service,
and my health to better living,
for my club, my community, my country, and my world.
This pledge never reaches where you came from,
where there is no room for farmland, and pets are limited
to dogs, cats, and, in summer, scorpions.
Your parents enroll the family
into this before now unheard-of “4-H”—
meeting this Wednesday night, when you are most tired from school
and new kids who remind you of old friends.
The fairgrounds are 15 minutes from home,
and your dad tells you to be on your best behavior—
In front of your grandparents, aunt and uncle, and especially the members of your new church.
He tells you his childhood fair memories on the way.
The building is tall and has concrete floors,
rows of folding chairs direct your attention to the front
where two long tables are clothed in white, the Kansas and 4-H flags on either side.
The leaders at front describe all the ways you can get involved:
leatherworking, woodworking, gardening, cooking, crafts, painting.
Raise a show animal and really participate in all the fair has to offer!
Once buckled in the car, you ask if you can show an animal
and your parents talk it over quickly, deciding it will build character,
but, they stress, it will be your responsibility
and when your brothers choose boring sheep
you choose a goat.
YOU ARE READING
Is Choosing a Goat Like Choosing a Dog?
שיריםTold in Second person narrative poems, Is Choosing a Goat Like Choosing a Dog? is the story of an eight year old who moves to Kansas with their family and enrolls in 4-H, where they become responsible for raising a goat for the year, and showing it...
