1. “A
Walk
in
the
Park”
The
Reflection
Collection
Charmed
and
lost
in
the
beat
of
a
melodious
incantation,
instantaneously,
my
spell
was
broken
by
the
sound
of
a
muffled
cry.
“Carver…Carver,
no!”
I
heard
a
woman
shout
in
the
midst
of
pulsating
beats
and
vibrations.
I
raised
my
eyes
and
snatched
my
headphones
from
my
ears
to
see
the
young
Carver
rushing
his
way
toward
my
park
bench
with
a
large,
wooden
stick
in
tow.
My
conscience
charged
a
half-‐formed
thought:
whatever
you
do,
don’t.
smite.
back.
However,
in
that
brief
moment,
Carver
obeyed
his
mother’s
command
and
performed
a
sharp
U-‐turn
back
in
her
direction.
Thank
God.
What
a
relief
–
no
jail
time
for
me,
I
thought.
Much
to
my
surprise,
there
were
two
Carvers.
There
was
the
first,
rambunctious
Carver
who
had
almost
made
a
piñata
of
me
and
there
was
also
the
second,
mellow
“Carver”
whom
was
being
escorted
by
their
mother.
As
they
ascended
the
incline
to
the
gazebo
where
I
sat,
she
issued
a
brief
apology.
“I’m
sorry
about
that,”
she
said.
“It’s
fine,”
I
replied.
As
they
walked
to
the
other
side
of
the
gazebo
to
make
their
exit,
the
young,
twin
boys
each
clasped
their
mother’s
hands
and
began
their
journey
around
the
park.
The
boys
did,
in
fact,
look
the
same;
however,
the
one
actually
named
Carver
was
slightly
different.
Clandestinely
examining
the
twin
toddlers,
my
momentous
left-‐brain
thinking
pressed
my
desire
to
individualize
them,
a
task
easily
done
as
it
was
also
easily
said.
Though
they
shared
the
same
birthdate,
wore
the
same
outfits,
and
horse-‐played
as
young
boys
do,
there
was
one
thing
that
the
pair
didn’t
have
in
common.
“Down
syndrome
is
a
lifelong
condition.
But
with
care
and
support,
children
who
have
Down
syndrome
can
grow
up
to
have
healthy,
happy,
productive
lives.”
-‐WebMD
I
have
neither
known
nor
interacted
with
anyone
with
Down
syndrome;
Carver
was
the
first
child
to
introduce
me
to
this
disease
up
close
and
almost
too
personal.
As
I
watched
and
observed
the
family
tread
the
gravelly
trail,
a
warm
tear
blazed
its
own
trail
down
my
cheek.
Some
folks
say
that
we
all
learn
something
new
everyday,
but
how
often
does
each
day
bring
new
feelings
or
evoke
new
emotions?
I
guess
one
could
say
that
I
did
learn
something
new
that
day:
the
things
we
loosely
call
“problems”
are
oftentimes
the
answers
to
other
people’s
prayers.
They
walked
once
more
around
and
then
headed
back
to
the
car,
passing
the
gazebo
where
I
sat
once
again.
I
looked
at
the
family
one
more
time,
only
now
my
stare
was
bold
because
their
backs
were
turned.
Carver
must
have
felt
my
stare
because
he
peered
over
his
shoulder
and
graced
me
with
a
beautiful,
mettlesome
smile.
2. I
responded
with
a
humbled
grin
and
raised
my
arm
halfway
to
wave
a
timid,
farewell.
My
frivolous
issues
didn’t
seem
to
matter
much
anymore;
their
light
had
been
dimmed
by
a
reality
check
in
a
bank
where
I
had
no
account.
Though
Carver
is
much
younger
than
me,
he
will
forever
be
stronger.
Admittedly,
I’m
much
too
small
of
a
person
to
deal
with
his
norm,
but
to
Carver,
it’s
a
walk
in
the
park.
