She opens her eyes
For the very first time
Seeing the light that exists
In the world
She's amazed
She's only been breathing for just a few minutes
Her lungs full of air
Marveling at the sensation of the breath in her mouth
And throat and lungs
She begins to cry
But she wants to sing
Holding tight to her daddy's hand
She reaches with her other hand
Out to her mama
Eager and happy and excited
The hand is right there, just beyond the reach
She finds she needs to let go
Stretch herself just a little bit
Move one foot in front of the other
She slowly, tentatively raises her tiny foot
Placing it just a few inches further
Letting herself be by herself
Unsupported but not unloved
She finds her first stride
And she is powerful
And she wants to sing
Wheels move underneath her
As she pedals her way down the road
The training wheels are put back on the shelf
They weren't on for very long anyway
The perfect balance of speed and courage
Has led her to this moment
Leaving her parents behind
Although her father pants and tries to keep up
Just in case she falls
She doesn't
She returns home to the driveway
Flushed and happy
And she wants to sing
The photo was taken
In her best - but not too formal - shirt
Her hair is perfect
Against the sky blue background
The card is printed
The smell of chemicals and plastic
Can take nothing away from the moment
Can I drive home?
She asks her dad
And he smiles and says, Sure!
She gets behind the wheel
Steps on the gas
And drives forth into freedom
The radio blasting
And she wants to sing
She lets go of her father's hand again
Like she'd done all those years ago
Having danced with her daddy one last time
And he, with a tear in his eye
Puts the hand of his princess
Into the hand of her prince
With a smile she looks up at the groom
Giving her soul and her heart
To this handsome young man
Who fills her life with light and love
And she wants to sing
She finds herself aware of a new sound
The first time this sound has ever been known on earth
The sound of tiny lungs
Singing their way
Into the world
A small form nestles into her chest
Warm and sweet and fresh
And she looks into those amazing eyes
Feeling the universe contained
In a small baby
And she wants to sing
It's later now
Much later
She has grandchildren
And even great-grandchildren
They love to come and talk and play
But most of all
They come
To hear her sing
And then one day
With angelic choirs
In Celestial courts above
Praising the God of Life
The God of Love, the God of Peace
Who allowed her to be
On the earth for a time
With all of its pain and sorrow
All of its glory and reward
She lifts up the sacred strain
And sings
For the very first time
Seeing the light that exists
In the world
She's amazed
She's only been breathing for just a few minutes
Her lungs full of air
Marveling at the sensation of the breath in her mouth
And throat and lungs
She begins to cry
But she wants to sing
Holding tight to her daddy's hand
She reaches with her other hand
Out to her mama
Eager and happy and excited
The hand is right there, just beyond the reach
She finds she needs to let go
Stretch herself just a little bit
Move one foot in front of the other
She slowly, tentatively raises her tiny foot
Placing it just a few inches further
Letting herself be by herself
Unsupported but not unloved
She finds her first stride
And she is powerful
And she wants to sing
Wheels move underneath her
As she pedals her way down the road
The training wheels are put back on the shelf
They weren't on for very long anyway
The perfect balance of speed and courage
Has led her to this moment
Leaving her parents behind
Although her father pants and tries to keep up
Just in case she falls
She doesn't
She returns home to the driveway
Flushed and happy
And she wants to sing
The photo was taken
In her best - but not too formal - shirt
Her hair is perfect
Against the sky blue background
The card is printed
The smell of chemicals and plastic
Can take nothing away from the moment
Can I drive home?
She asks her dad
And he smiles and says, Sure!
She gets behind the wheel
Steps on the gas
And drives forth into freedom
The radio blasting
And she wants to sing
She lets go of her father's hand again
Like she'd done all those years ago
Having danced with her daddy one last time
And he, with a tear in his eye
Puts the hand of his princess
Into the hand of her prince
With a smile she looks up at the groom
Giving her soul and her heart
To this handsome young man
Who fills her life with light and love
And she wants to sing
She finds herself aware of a new sound
The first time this sound has ever been known on earth
The sound of tiny lungs
Singing their way
Into the world
A small form nestles into her chest
Warm and sweet and fresh
And she looks into those amazing eyes
Feeling the universe contained
In a small baby
And she wants to sing
It's later now
Much later
She has grandchildren
And even great-grandchildren
They love to come and talk and play
But most of all
They come
To hear her sing
And then one day
With angelic choirs
In Celestial courts above
Praising the God of Life
The God of Love, the God of Peace
Who allowed her to be
On the earth for a time
With all of its pain and sorrow
All of its glory and reward
She lifts up the sacred strain
And sings
Comments