Things absorbed into pores, breathed into lungs, imprinted on hearts
Conceived by eternal mind we passed from idea to earth
Into arms of waiting ones;
Trembling guardians
Armed with nothing but love and unseen things
And we are knit together by love and unseen things Side-long, stolen glances
Eyes crinkling with anticipation
Bedtime tales infused with chameleon-voiced magic
Dull Monday night roar below guiding the way to open arms
Words of comfort guiding the way through fear
Willing co option into grueling tasks, seen through to the bitter end
Crafted words gifted to us all: Memorials of intentional love
Inclination to laugh first. Laugh loud. Laugh long
And we are knit together by love and unseen things
Back-slung gigglers hauled up to bed.
Jello trees and snuggles please
Humble pride in your little charges
The giving of gifts made personal and with care
Eliciting laughter, a common and welcome pastime
Curiosity in things that once were, in trenches and cannon fire
Navy star solidarity and late night games
Baggins’s and Borin before bed
The merit of sweat and toil instilled
Limitless “I love you’s”
And we are knit together by love and unseen things
Embracing a tiny red-headed latecomer with joy
Older, but no less willing to:
Toss pigskin, defining intricacies of punting & penalties
Again, bend over schoolboy project--devoted collaborator
Explain when to hold‘em and when to fold‘em
Bond shoulder to shoulder over food and film
We are four who passed by divine hand into your arms
Strawberry hair. Dimpled chins. Freckled noses
We can be seen. Hands held. Laughs heard
But our lives are spaces filled to the brim with love and unseen things
Like air under wing, without them we would fall
You, Dad, give us form and substance with the invisible,
Now absorbed into our pores, breathed in through our lungs and imprinted on our hearts
