On Seeing a Nephew

Glistening, wondering, thinking, inquiring
In resplendent wonder, does your face show;
Head at angle, brow curled, hair asunder
With innocence, you decide friend or foe.

Safe, perched, finger in mouth
I watch with condescending pleasure;
Eyes, ears, fingers, toes
Small, shrunken down for good measure.

Back to your mother you look
Inquiring to watch her reaction;
Surely she would know the credentials
Of this heretofore unseen apparition.

Then back at me you look again
Lips mirroring the smile on hers;
Little one, in seconds few
I feel I have known you for years.

Gifts
I place before you a book
Read it, do take a look.
It carries in verse, mysteries
That when read are easy to see.

I place before you a map
Use it, to guide your path.
It diagrams in drawings, direction
That when followed yields sublimation.

I point your eyes towards the sky
Know it, as the birds that fly.
It patterns in stars, aspirations
That when lived spurn conventions.

I put in your hands a cup
Drink it, as you sup.
It encompasses in entirety, simplicity
That when embodied welcomes paucity.

I place before you a plate
Eat it, your hunger to sate.
It fills in edibles, needs
That when planted, sprout like seeds.

I place before you a rose
Smell it, as you pose.
It enlivens in bouquets, life
That passes in unheralded strife.

I place before you a chime
Listen, it rings in time.
It soothes in melody, worries
That chill like winter flurries.

I place before you a purpose
Lift it, as a victor does.
It paints in subtleties, meaning
That shades the canvas as it dries.