In Honor of----
The year 1985 saw the birth of a niece, Jessica Fleming, my wife's sister's child. At the time I was in enrolled in an evening college course for english composition. We were studying a particular form of poetry called 'villanelle'. The first and third lines of the first stanza must be included in the remainder of the poem for it to meet the requirements of this style. The following was written for Jessica and is relevant today since Jessica has given birth to her first child on September 24TH. It's titled "Small Creature".
Small creature, feel the strength of a living hand, is right,
Sweet youth, cleansed of age cannot be spoiled,
Gather Love as a butterfly to flight.
Grasp the earth as it spins always in new light,
The sound and taste of life excite and re-new,
Small creature, feel the strength of a living hand, is right.
With every breath your heart leaps with fondness, in spite
of those things for which you have no understanding.
Gather love as a butterfly to flight.
Now, as days grow shorter and you give the good fight
to help those who had once helped you,
Small creature, feel the strength of a loving hand, is right.
In twilight hours your hands reach to hold tight
to dreams that dance in your mind, to sleep,
Gather love as a butterfly to flight.
Bring love to those who turn the dark to bright,
Sweetness and youth once remembered with such cheer,
Small creature, feel the strength of a loving hand, is right,
Gather love as a butterfly to flight.
Happy Birthday, Taylor Renae Minopoli. May you find love as a butterfly to flight.
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