I, Alexandra
I am Alexandra !
I am here.
All hail Alexandra!
The poster announces me,
as loudly as the trumpets
told of the Macedonian
whose name I carry.
He was crowned the emperor
of the world.
Do I too have worlds to conquer?
His Greeks were many
and mighty warriors all.
Twenty-two centuries later,
do I, too, need a mighty army
for the world I must
master?
I glance at the roster
of my family
and see a gene pool
to match that of the emperor.
There are wise teachers.
The artists who paint
and those whose music imitate
the sounds of the gossamer.
Runners and rugby players.
Writers who own the language
and those who speak
in many tongues.
There are clowns and scholars,
cooks and scribes.
There are mathematicians who own
and train the numbers.
The peacekeepers and messengers
who sound the passing day.
The essence of me
is distilled from
dabs of this and that,
from all over mankind
Am I, Alexandra, ready to conquer
my world
with this extensive army?
For I was born not with a silver spoon
in my mouth.
Perhaps rather I have a silver spur
in my flank
and a cloud
to ride triumphantly
through Caesar's arch.
But what if my heart is a hobo?
Perhaps to wander
in fields of clover
Or to seek Shangri-La
instead of Camelot.
Perhaps to read Omar Khayyam
instead of an inaugural speech.
Perhaps to clip flowers
instead of coupons.
Then too I may listen to Louie
instead of HAIL TO THE CHIEF.
I may develop an appetite
for all the world's foods
instead of the gourmet menu.
The 400 seems so small a community
when compared to the 4 billion.
So I am also Alex !
I am here.
All say hello to Alex!
My army wants not to name
the world I am to conquer
nor say who I will be.
The silver spur may just be
a stool to stand on
to reach the stars.
That is for me to decide.
Doug Minnis
February 22, 2009