It is a happy talent to know how to play. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Legos and Building Understanding
My granddaughter and I
click bright-rainbow blocks together
on an old shag rug.
We share imaginary playgrounds,
houses, restaurants, theaters, roads.
"I made a factory," she says.
My pieces become a simple
chair and table outside a fast-food shop.
And our tiny pieces develop into
more than plastic stacks
could suggest. My creations
require a semblance of reality.
She reaches into the mother lode
of possibilities and announces she’s
making a canyon and a sunset.
My granddaughter has Down syndrome.
Special needs. More accurate, she is
a special, unique individual.
A canyon offers depth. A sunset provides
color, defying darkness.
"Thank you, Ella. I will follow you
through the next game."
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terrypetersen 