Newmade

Wrapped in my womb and under my heart I took you outside tonight
to let the stars shine on you.

I breathed green night air and I stepped on green wings
and I let the stars shine on you.

I walked past the horn of a crescent moon and the sharp blue eyes of the sky
to let the stars shine on you.

I wondered your name and I strained my heart –

– to hear –

– perhaps –

your newmade soul –

and I let the stars shine on you.

What We Know

The monsters under the bed are real.

That is the secret,
dear heart,
that we are keeping from you.

As a parent I have learned –

That –

Necessity is no respecter

Of necessity.

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If stars leave trails
And fairies leave dust,

Then parents leave gold

In flecks –

Over their children’s hearts.

Unseen –

Till time, the great miner, proves

You left

Gold

Poison.

So you have seen the Taj Mahal,
Strolled through Paris arrondissements,
Lingered in the light of Chartres’ rose, and
Danced in tropic rains.

While I – ?

Well, I
have curled in the confines of one room,
fed, rocked, guarded, sung and prayed

for one new soul.

But perhaps –

after all, my friends –

I have traveled just as far as you.

The heart is soft at bedtime –
a wise old pastor said to me –

So spend it with your children.

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