By Ryan MacPherson, ca. 1990

In the not so distant future

In a not so distant place

A child finds a word

Which leaves a blank look on her face

It's a word she's heard not of

One unlike any other

She still cannot define it

Even after asking another

She grabs a dictionary from the shelf

And fumbles for that word

A word which she cannot pronounce

Of which her teacher has never heard

Then when she finds the entry

The definition seems so unclear

But she knows the word means something

Perhaps something sweet, something dear

The word she finds is "family"

A word unlike any other

One which refers to relatives

Especially father, mother, brother

But its meaning must be deeper

There must be something more

Was it happy, kind, and loving?

Was it fun and not a bore?

And so she craves to learn

Why it is not here today

Where is this thing called "family"

And why did it go away?

In the not so distant future

In a not so distant place

With questions left unanswered

The word vanishes from her face