A few years back
I was on the A train
Along with the rest of the passengers
And I was staring at the view
And this lady came on the train
And greeted the passengers
And made an announcement.

The next thing I knew she was
Singing in a beautiful voice.
So the passengers offered her some money
’Cause she wasn’t riding in a Rolls Royce
And she wasn’t an R & B star.

No police officers were there to harass her
Or blast her
They didn’t show up to ask her
About why she was singing
And our ears were joyfully ringing.

The people were happy
When the lady sang her song
And her song wasn’t too long
It was short.

I guess the lady had been inspired.

She sang an old-school song with
The lyrics
“I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river, I’ve been running ev’r since
It’s been a long time, a long time coming . . .

“Change is gonna come”
Which was
The title of the song
And when I heard it, it was short.

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Terrance Wilson, age 45, was born and raised in Brooklyn. A student at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Bedford Adult Learning Center, his tutor is Eric Sacks, the literacy adviser is Matthew Greene, and the site supervisor is Susan Knott. Terrance Wilson writes, “I come to class three days a week. I come prepared and ready to learn.”