To my soul friends turned parents that believed in the stars and inspired this poem, and of course, to the little ones.
(Michelle Vanya Laporte & baby Nico, Saulius Kliorys & baby Eva)
Child, tiny miracle, tender form,
Anchored wings – you are here
Because love carries forward.
In the cold of the night and
The fog of these times, your
Parents believed in the stars.
Welcome, sweet being
To this mad, wondrous world!
Where – with you– love discovers itself
Once again,
As the sun blushes soft while she rises
And falls, and still dares to blaze on
Every day.
There is madness here that is shocking,
Yet ancient, and there’s goodness as well,
Just as old, just as strong;
May your guardians trust in the strength
Of your soul as they safeguard the dawn
Of your body.
May your entry be gentle, your softness protected,
Your wonder encouraged, your pure light seen,
And your parents nourished by the awesome charge
Of loving and nourishing you.
And in time – in due time – as your senses expand,
And your own legs and hands start exploring the land,
Once you’ve started to speak in the tongue of this world
Where wonder is shaped into questions….
May the slow humming stones
Rock your bones into stillness,
And may whirlwinds of air
Tease your vision, and cheeks;
May the moist breathing soil
Kiss your hands and your toes,
And may birds help you hear
Your own heart.
May you learn from the elders
The quiet powers of this world:
Attention, and labor, kindness, and
Prayer;
May they teach you to dance in the thick
Of our darkness, to sing to the moon,
To weep for our cares, and to laugh
‘Til this world breaks you open.
And when you’ve grown strong – both in
Spirit and bone – may you find your own faith
In the far-gleaming stars,
And weave warming tapestries
Of earth and your dreams
To cover the trembling corners of life
With the light you were brought here
To shine.
(Michelle Vanya Laporte & baby Nico, Saulius Kliorys & baby Eva)
Child, tiny miracle, tender form,
Anchored wings – you are here
Because love carries forward.
In the cold of the night and
The fog of these times, your
Parents believed in the stars.
Welcome, sweet being
To this mad, wondrous world!
Where – with you– love discovers itself
Once again,
As the sun blushes soft while she rises
And falls, and still dares to blaze on
Every day.
There is madness here that is shocking,
Yet ancient, and there’s goodness as well,
Just as old, just as strong;
May your guardians trust in the strength
Of your soul as they safeguard the dawn
Of your body.
May your entry be gentle, your softness protected,
Your wonder encouraged, your pure light seen,
And your parents nourished by the awesome charge
Of loving and nourishing you.
And in time – in due time – as your senses expand,
And your own legs and hands start exploring the land,
Once you’ve started to speak in the tongue of this world
Where wonder is shaped into questions….
May the slow humming stones
Rock your bones into stillness,
And may whirlwinds of air
Tease your vision, and cheeks;
May the moist breathing soil
Kiss your hands and your toes,
And may birds help you hear
Your own heart.
May you learn from the elders
The quiet powers of this world:
Attention, and labor, kindness, and
Prayer;
May they teach you to dance in the thick
Of our darkness, to sing to the moon,
To weep for our cares, and to laugh
‘Til this world breaks you open.
And when you’ve grown strong – both in
Spirit and bone – may you find your own faith
In the far-gleaming stars,
And weave warming tapestries
Of earth and your dreams
To cover the trembling corners of life
With the light you were brought here
To shine.