I. On the birth of my grandson!
Oh, what joy you inspire with
your timorous baby's cry.
Yours is a world of form and shadow;
of sounds distant but yet familiar.
Breathe in the soothing sharp air so light.
An innocence as pure and white, like
blossoms of Queen Anne's Lace swayed
in the warm summer breeze tonight.
Reaching and turning to our delight;
eyes still closed but always looking up.
You never stop reaching for the light!
ll. Though you could not see the smiles as
you kicked and jabbed with all your might,
you instinctively knew you were loved.
All swathed in cotton and lace,
you were passed from one to another.
A gift so precious and unique
in all the world, there can be found no other.
Helpless though you may be, you are perfection;
the latest edition of a glorious form.
Always reaching for the light!
lll. Circumstances of birth as provided by providence
and secured without question by all who love you.
My world is not your own; endeavor to make it better.
The time and tide of fate will light your path.
Reach out to your destiny with each passing year.
Always reaching for the light!
lV. Rocking in the sun, delicate as Queen Anne's Lace,
I wonder, as I gaze upon your gentle features,
where we both shall be sixty years hence, and I
pray with all my might, we are both in a better place.
You, in a world far more forgiving, among those you love,
and me among the memories.
Our time together will be brief, but you will know
my story as surely as you write your own.
Soon you will smile and walk and speak,
and see clearly what truths form in the light.
Never stop reaching for the light!