A man crosses the street in rain, stepping gently, looking two times north and south.

Because his son is asleep on his shoulder, no car must splash him, no car drive too near to his shadow.

This man carries the world's most sensitive cargo, but he's not marked.

Nowhere does his jacket say, "Fragile, handle with care."

His ears fill up with breathing.

He hears the hum of a boy's dream deep inside him.

We're not going to be able to live in this world if we're not willing to do what he's doing with one another.

The road will only be wide, the rain will never stop falling.

-- Naomi Shihab Nye