Written as a Christmas gift to my grandsons.


Christmas Wishes

"Youth, have no pity; leave no farthing here
For age to invest in compromise and fear."
- Edna St. Vincent Millay, "Fatal Interview, Sonnet XXIX"



You have all the gifts of your youth
And I the burdens of sixty-five years;
Still, I would never trade with you
Any more than you would with me.

There are things that I wish for you
That will not seem important now,
When all of life is waiting for you.
But so much of what you will see

And desire and despair of will not,
In the end, endure nor seem worthy
Of the passion you invested in them,
Though these you must do to learn.

I wish for you things that are eternal
And honest and true and truly free
If you open your eyes and your heart.
I wish for you the sanctuary of Nature

And the simple pleasures of seasons;
Refuge of special places, sacred ground;
To share the peace of those that live there
And the sense of eternity that abides.

I wish for you communion with hawks
And eagles so your spirit may often soar
And know Heaven in the embrace of wings,
Loosed of the confining bounds of Earth.

I wish for you compassion and caring
For the creatures who live in your world
And make of it the Eden not yet lost . . .
The promise we often forget to remember.

I wish for you to know the perfect love
Of one woman, as divine as your mother;
The unselfish caring of one good friend;
The protection of your father's strength.

I wish for you the courage to persevere
And the certain assurance of God's grace;
The faith to believe in the power of prayer;
Wisdom to know and believe in yourself.

I wish you to prosper in your honest work,
To know the worth of something done well.
And years from now I wish you the comfort
Of all you have loved and all who love you.


Love, Grandpa




Poetry by countryfog
Read 371 times
Written on 2010-12-20 at 15:02

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josephus The PoetBay support member heart!
If I may, I will send this to a daughter of 29 living a world away in Hong Kong. She is hugely successful as a single and powerful woman.

She will love this work and, more importantly, heed your wishes.

Joe
2011-12-25


Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Now, this is a Christmas gift, tender, thoughtful and nicely written. Your grandkids are lucky.
2010-12-24


John Ashleigh
I'm sure your grandsons are blessed with the words you have wrote for them. A pleasure to read. Keep sharing.

Regards,
John.
2010-12-21


shells
Wishes for Christmas, a lovely sentiment. I hope your grandchildren pass this on to theirs when they are 64 or thereabouts.
2010-12-21


NicholasG
This is a fine poem for Christmas Mr.Fog. If only such gifts could be wrapped and presented under a tree.
Thank you for lift.
Nick
2010-12-20