Maybe Tomorrow - Keeping Creativity Alive

Much like The Little Boy Story, this totally breaks my heart:

Maybe Tomorrow

by Lindy T. Redmond

“Me do it,” said the 2 year old,

“Mom, me will do it now,”

“Oh no, my dear,” she replied,

“I must show you how!”

“Let me try it,” he called at 3

“Let me make my bed,”

“No, you will have lumps in it,

Color this instead.”

So she placed the coloring book

Near him on the table,

“Now try to color in the lines

The best you are able.”

“But Mom, I want to draw the world

And all the butterflies,

I want to make the mountains tall,

And make rainbows in the skies.”

“Color carefully,” she replied,

And color the flowers red,

Color the sky all light blue

Stay in the lines,” she said.

And as the 4 year old one day

His shoes he tried to tie,

His father said, “I’ll teach you how

And later YOU can try.”

And so it was, from birth to 5,

The others told him HOW,

They gave him restraints and set the laws

Of what they would allow.

Then one day the yellow bus

Came right up to his door,

The little boy thought for sure

That NOW he could explore.

He now could dream and imagine

And experiment on his own,

He could paint HIS colors

And investigate all alone.

He could soar to the highest mountains,

He could dream in his mind

He could nurture his talents,

His gifts he could now fine.

The teacher came into his room

And greeted everyone

“Take out your crayons and paper,

we’re going to have some fun.”

“Use this tracer to make a bunny

And neatly print your name,

They’ll all be brown with long ears,

They’ll all look just the same.”

“But I don’t want my bunny

To stand up straight and tall

I want him crouched among the grass

And to be white, that’s all.”

“They’ll be nicer if we keep

Them looking alike too,

Now please sit down & start your work

We’ve got a lot to do.”

So slowly he took his seat,

His eyes had lost their thrill,

He now knew just what he’d face,

Monotony and drill.

“Maybe later,” thought the lad,

“She’ll let me make my own,

Maybe tomorrow I can paint

My picture all alone.”

So on the next clear morning,

They took their crayons out,

“Oh boy, I’ll make the sky orange

I’ll be different, without a doubt.”

“Color carefully,” she replied,

“And color the flowers red,

Color the sky light blue

Stay in the lines,” she said.

“Maybe tomorrow, maybe never.”

Thought the boy as he colored the sky light blue.

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Lina

Lina Pugsley is a graduate of the Creativity and Change Leadership Program and a candidate for a Masters of Science in Creativity degree from SUNY Buffalo State. For the past 8 years, Lina has been researching and exploring ways to nurture creative skills and attitudes in children to promote creative confidence and resilience. She is passionate about supporting parents on ways to cultivate children's creativity starting in the early years.