Poem: January 26, 2019

Thoughts for My Children

I love you. Let's start with that. I love you and cannot do otherwise.
And, of course, I take great pride in you because you are mine,
and because you shine, each of you, in your own form, the best
manifestations of my inner life that have taken form beyond myself.
Three me-and-not-me's roaming the earth. And I sometimes think
that there should be a way to place in you instructions as deep as DNA,
benevolent programming that would tether my will to yours.
It's a selfish notion, I know, that must be the burden of every parent.
It is the desire to be the guide but not the tyrant, to nudge without placing.
So I stand at this moment at the intersection where old people crave
to make explicit the thoughts that they want to pass on as wisdom.
I remember my grandparents and then my parents doing the same,
and I also remember the feeling that this was an unnecessary effort
on their part, something I didn't ignore, but preferred to rush through.
In truth, I feel that way about this poem, but I will write it anyway.

I want you to always be kind and try to understand the people you meet.
Look for ways to make the lives of those around you easier,
and take pleasure in performing simple acts of service. In fact,
take pleasure in any work that can help others or that can make life
more colorful, peaceful, happy and joyous. And beautiful!
I want you to care about beauty, and define beauty as broadly as possible.
I want you to know that everything has the potential to be beautiful.
Of course, I want you to love yourselves, to wonder at the magic
of your bodies, the expanses of your emotions, the intricacies
of your minds, and the potency of your imaginations.
I want you to use all of your gifts to build a life that satisfies you,
and I want you to always feel free to change as you need to change.
I want you to be just and to honor the truth, and I want you to forgive
others easily, and to confidently make amends for your own mistakes.
I want you to affect the world around you and defend yourself
against foolishness, jealousy, hatred, and sloth. To be serious in ethic,
but to also be playful and creative in spirit and work.
I want you to seek and be open to new experiences and ideas,
to love freely and with passion, to believe that the world is good.
I want you to never fear opportunity, and to never doubt your strength,
and to be comfortable knowing that not every experience goes as planned
and that pain and embarrassment and failure are essential to you.
I hope you will never be timid, because if you are good and you are bold,
then your life will have been lived well, and I will be grateful to you.