to my sister's 12-day-old baby girl:::

Emily Anne

Your life is new, innocent, true;
you make me love mine more; yes, you!
Experience life -- its fire, ice;
you'll grow warmth and strength -- they'll suffice
to pull you through when things go wrong.

I'll love to help you get along:
with "sparks" and smarts you'll learn to use,
weathering the infrequent bruise --
You've got the world ahead to choose
and go for it! -- make the news!
I want to help maintain your spark
along your way to make your mark --
to help you keep your drive alive
despite the stuff that others thrive
on throwing at the best in us,
when learning honest work's a must!

You'll learn to love; you'll learn to cope;
you'll learn self-confidence and hope
(from those of use you can respect);
you'll learn to run from self-neglect
towards the strength and good you've found
in those you've tested, round by round
whose love you can't defeat, profound
whose warmth will make your heart resound
with mimicry, endless questions,
openness to kind suggestions,
needs for challenge, expectations,
failures met with kind reflections.

Your Mom and Dad, and others, too --
we'll try our best to train you true
and charge you up so that you, too,
can learn to love your life anew!

-- j / 7apr85