My first mixed-race party

It was a poetry slam:
children, young adults and me and Bob
gathered around the yard sharing a bite,
a laugh, a spoken word.

Relaxed, some new faces, a few slowly
becoming friends.
It wasn't until hours after the last
departed that I realized-
This was the first time
blacks and whites had mixed socially in
our home...first embarrassed then excited
as it dawned on me that  this could become
our new
reality.
We could actually open our home more often
because I've always enjoyed entertaining.
I liked that my children could see my graciousness and
generosity as genuine for these guests as for
our old friends and family that frequent S. Park Drive.

Seems kind of silly, but it feels like an important moment in
our lives....