It’s the daughter who sends a selfie 
of her with a sleeping five year old
nephew on her lap.
It’s the 90 year old father who 
says “Be careful,  I love you” every time 
you walk out the door, even when 
you aren’t leaving. 
It’s the former student,  now in college, 
who wants to come and sit on your 
couch to discuss siblings,  the Arts,
and how capitalism and religion 
have impacted society. 
It’s the neighbor who walks with
you  every day, another former student, 
who is carrying a child for her friend 
who needed a surrogate, herself a
teacher,  single mom and advocate of 
fairness and acceptance. 
It’s the realization that the word 
is a verb, and when you say it,
you are responsible for some aspect 
of the human life to whom you have spoken,
“I love you”. Love is a verb.

KW
6/13/2022