A Poem for my second grandchild

Every time I send something I’ve written out into the world, I’m nervous. Will anyone like it? Is it any good? When I write my usual musings on places I’ve been, I worry that something I’ve said may offend someone. I write a lot of short stories these days, and I’m even more nervous about putting my fiction out there. (I’ve only posted one of them on Substack, “Osama.” Because it won a prize, that means someone else validated its worth).

Now I’m sending out this poem. “I’m not a poet,” I say by way of apology in advance. But can’t anyone be a poet who puts down their honest feelings about something? I learned that from “Love that Dog” by Sharon Creech (my kids had to read it in middle school, and it was great).

Anyway, here’s a poem I wrote for my new grandchild, Ash. He is two weeks old.

To Ash

Oh Ash, 
You have come out into the world
finally.
It can seem awful, the bright lights, the loud sounds, 
the toddler poking you,
And this world, 
this world of disasters and dictators and poverty and pollution
and Hell in a Handbasket. 
But look. 
There is your mommy with her warm touch and gentle voice,
there is your daddy with his huge smile and joyful antics,
and that big sister, you will play with her and want to be like her,
and she will be there for you and you for her, all your life, I hope.
And your parents, oh my, they are amazing, and you will idolize them
and then you won’t
and then when you’re much older you will appreciate them again.
You won’t remember this time in this small apartment full of feelings so big, 
your sister crying because they keep taking her baby away, 
and your parents with no sleep but somehow still laughing, 
and your grandma crying because her baby had another baby and you are so beautiful
and she just cries a lot anyway. 
This Tiny Apartment of Love.
And this world, well, you’ll see, 
you’ll see the forests and the frogs and the seashells and the stars 
and you’ll do something, maybe something big to make this world better
and maybe something small, but it will be something.
Oh Ash, 
You have come out into the world
finally. 
And it is wonderful. 

February 2025