We all think about our best memories and mine are of the island I grew up on. I lived in a log cabin and took the hay wagon to school with my two sisters. The closest neighbor was about a mile away and they were two brothers much older than myself. I knew I had to start school on the island and I was afraid. I preferred digging up clams and pulling in dogfish. But, it was time.
The wagon rolled up and we hopped on. We only saw about one truck on the way to school. I remember going into the class and seeing a lot of black children. I was afraid. I had never seen a black person before. The teacher was huge. She looked like my mother only 5 x's taller! She told us if we had to 'urinate' just to go to the back room and 'do our thing'. So, after one hour, I had to URINATE..but I was afraid of the monster teacher of the island. So, I wet myself. She scolded me in front of all the kids. It was then that I wanted to be back at the cabin with my sisters and looking for eels and tadpoles. She told 'Joshua' to tend to me.
Joshua was a black boy and he was very caring. He told me to come to the cloakroom and pull down my pants. I was not going to do this! I wanted to cry but I held it in. Joshua said, "It'll be okay, I'll just clean you up kid and you can go back and have your day like the rest of us." So, I did. When he touched my shoulder I knew I would become BLACK within a few hours.
After my first day I got back to our cabin and told the story of the black boy who touched me and was kind to me. I told my mother , "when I grow up, I want to be a black boy."... She looked at me like I had spaghetti sauce on my face! She smiled and said, "Willy, you can't be a black boy. That's just the way it is!"...so, I thought about it and I thought about a lot more. Then I told her I made my second decision...I wanted to be an Eagle! She started to laugh. That disturbed me. I didn't know why because I was trying to make good choices!
She told me people can't grow up to be birds or mammals. I didn't know what a mammal was so that was okay! I didn't know what I wanted to be after that.
So, I just spent my free time on the shell beach with my sister, Suzie. We turned rocks over and collected small fish in tanks. Sometimes I even found a big crab! I took one crab and cooked it on the stone barbecue. I heard the sizzling sounds and then I felt really bad. I killed it. I killed the beautiful crab.
One morning before school, my mother was yelling like the dickens! There were cows in our yard and one of them was sticking his big slobbering head through my window and MOOOed like there was no tomorrow. I was so excited I jumped on my mattress and watched my Mom smack those cows with her broom until they were all out of sight. She was blazin' with anger!
After school I'd just sit in a quiet place. Sometimes a deer would come buy and just nibble on green grass. I would watch and the deer didn't seem to mind. They just carried on like I was one of their own. It was so beautiful and I felt so peaceful.
I used to swim in the ocean. I'd run into the cold salty sea and just yelp with joy as my sister watched me and shivered by the shore. I loved the ocean. I watched the whales go by and waited for their waves to come to shore so I could dive under them and pretend I was an important person who discovered mysteries of the Sea.
When we left the island, I was sad. I loved the stars at night. I loved the chirping crickets and the gardener snakes. I missed the deer and the whales.
We moved into a big city called 'Vancouver' and I didn't like it one bit. When my mother took me to grade one class, I saw my new teacher, Mrs. Lyons. She was a monster. I just got out of my seat and ran into the field.
Each night I just thought about the big Arbutus trees, the eagles flying by, the wild flowers and the boy that made me feel like it was MY HOME. I never forgot that boy and how he made me part of the island.
I still go back to the island I grew up on and put my feet in the salt water. I walk into the woods and the deer are still there. I wonder if they are related to the ones I watched way back then. I also think of Joshua and where he is and what became of him.
We all think about our best memories and mine are of the island I grew up on. I lived in a log cabin and took the hay wagon to school with my two sisters. The closest neighbor was about a mile away and they were two brothers much older than myself. I knew I had to start school on the island and I was afraid. I preferred digging up clams and pulling in dogfish. But, it was time.
After my first day I got back to our cabin and told the story of the black boy who touched me and was kind to me. I told my mother , "when I grow up, I want to be a black boy."... She looked at me like I had spaghetti sauce on my face! She smiled and said, "Willy, you can't be a black boy. That's just the way it is!"...so, I thought about it and I thought about a lot more. Then I told her I made my second decision...I wanted to be an Eagle! She started to laugh. That disturbed me. I didn't know why because I was trying to make good choices!
She told me people can't grow up to be birds or mammals. I didn't know what a mammal was so that was okay! I didn't know what I wanted to be after that.
One morning before school, my mother was yelling like the dickens! There were cows in our yard and one of them was sticking his big slobbering head through my window and MOOOed like there was no tomorrow. I was so excited I jumped on my mattress and watched my Mom smack those cows with her broom until they were all out of sight. She was blazin' with anger!
After school I'd just sit in a quiet place. Sometimes a deer would come buy and just nibble on green grass. I would watch and the deer didn't seem to mind. They just carried on like I was one of their own. It was so beautiful and I felt so peaceful.
I used to swim in the ocean. I'd run into the cold salty sea and just yelp with joy as my sister watched me and shivered by the shore. I loved the ocean. I watched the whales go by and waited for their waves to come to shore so I could dive under them and pretend I was an important person who discovered mysteries of the Sea.
When we left the island, I was sad. I loved the stars at night. I loved the chirping crickets and the gardener snakes. I missed the deer and the whales.
We moved into a big city called 'Vancouver' and I didn't like it one bit. When my mother took me to grade one class, I saw my new teacher, Mrs. Lyons. She was a monster. I just got out of my seat and ran into the field.
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