My Precious Little Nephew

My Precious Little Nephew by Cindy La Marr is a poem about a little boy realizing the inequity that exists in the world. The narrator is an auntie who loves her nephew very much and who is also hurt when her “precious little nephew” realizes the cruelty of people. It was one of many poems that I responded to quite emotionally. As an aunt I am often amazed and awed by the wonder of my niece, her boldness and her love of the world. I am envious of her unawareness of the inequity that exists in the world and how people can direct one’s feelings about themselves. When I see her I really feel that she is in a free and perfect world. Also, like the aunt in the poem I want to protect and want nothing but the best for my niece. When I see someone hurt her I am hurt. The use of repetition of the words, “my precious little nephew” in this poem made the aunt’s love for the nephew come alive and we realize the depth of the love she has for her nephew. I found these to be the most powerful words in the poem. This poem brought me back to many of my younger days as I was discovering that other people did not always think and feel the same way I did about things. I remember bringing something to school to show off only to find that others didn’t understand why this object was important to me or how proud I was of it. Discovering society’s unspoken rules and behaviors is a difficult process that, often times, hurts and wounds in ways that run much deeper than we could ever imagine.