to be born.

For Gabriel

Your life until now
Has been all warmth and shadow,
As you float to the music
of distant muffled voices, and dance
to the rhythms of heart and breath.
You know nothing but the comfort
Of this perfect blanket of dark.
This cocoon of water and flesh
Is the only world you have known,
And it has been entirely beautiful.

When your world cracks open,
It will feel immense and terrifying.
All will seem too loud, too bright,
Too much to be grasped.
This life as you know it now
Will be over in an instant
As you slip from the only
place you have ever known,
Haunted by the terrible truth
already inscribed on your bones:
you will never be able to return here
to the ground of your making.

But, my darling, there is so much
Beauty on the other side:
Wonder upon wonder
You could never have dreamed of.
There is touch, light, sound,
Color, creativity, texture, hope,
And love, love, glorious love.

I wish I could tell you it will be easy,
That you will be safe as you
Step into the wide terrain of this world;
But there are too many sharp edges
And, tender as we are,
No one walks through unscathed.

What I can promise is you won't face
This looming future alone.
Arms are waiting to hold you.
Lips are longing to greet you with a kiss.
Eyes are yearning to behold you.
Hearts are flung wide open
Ready to adore you.

I suppose what I want to say is this:
It's okay to be scared,
It's okay to cry out in
Surprise and doubt and even terror.
Weep a thousand tears if you must,
As you face the unfamiliar landscape
Of a future you never would have chosen;
And grieve the great loss of what
You must leave behind.

But come anyway.
For your one wild, wondrous life
Is waiting for you;
And you are the only one capable of living it.
You already have all you need.
So even when you feel small
Be brave.
When you feel ready to turn back
Look ahead.
When you think all is lost
Trust the miracle of the next moment
And the next as they keep
tumbling toward you.
Greet them as the unwarranted
miracles that they are.

You were made for the adventure
Of all that is to to come.
You were made for this world
As stunning and frightening
And sharp-edged as it is.
Oh My Love,
You were made
to be born.