When will we be their heroes?
When will they reminisce about us –
how fast we ran,
how we wrote the best song,
how we kicked their ass
because at least that once,
we were better?
When will we be their first inspiration,
the one they want to be
when they grow up,
the one they speak enviously of
to their friends?
When will they
make room,
invite us to join in,
to play a tune,
or choose us for their team?
When will we be the first they think of –
or the second –
for that sweet gig,
that perfect job,
that chance to get ahead?
When will they seek our approval
for their biggest plans,
and demand
that we cast our vote
on their unique biological functions?
When will “just” and “only”
stop appearing
wherever we are mentioned
(if that should happen)?
When will
the (extraordinary) value
of who we are and what we do
permanently and automatically
take its hard-earned place
in the (ordinary) dialogue
of everyman?
