Child Development through Poetry

 

the chaos of possibility

from the Source a child goes forth

on a journey of their own

with but hints from a confusing world to guide them,

each learns by doing,

venture after venture judged by result

with little conscious choice about it all,

their universe a chaos of possibility

with pattern of effect the only way to learn of cause,

those first days, months, years,

an early fog from which shapes appear

fitfully, then resolve toward clarity,

imagine the eyes of a baby and your eyes,

that time when the little one starts to notice you,

to see you there, to find your eyes as anchor,

to find your eyes as key to a self that can be known,

both one inside and one outside,

know then that a self awakens behind the eyes,

reprises the shock and wonder of being 

within a world that can be understood,

that can be a stage upon which to act,

a place within which the child can go forth

and develop with both commonality and uniqueness,

any of us who are gifted with witnessing the child going forth,

maybe with helping on the journey, should feel honored

as the new self births the best version of itself it can, 

and we are there.

by Henry H. Walker

November 19, ‘21

The above poem speaks to what pulled me to work on capturing the moments and stages of our children's and our grandchildren's development.  I have sought each time I am with them to understand them, to appreciate them, and then often to chronicle effort and result.  Next month my illustrated poetry book should be released through Amazon: 200 pages, hardback, a beautiful pen-and-ink illustration for each poem.  I have sought to chronicle the journey from birth onwards, finishing up with a poem of our granddaughter Izzi's bat mitzvah last June.  How to get a copy will be shared as that way opens.