As another year draws to a close, we once again celebrate Christmas together as a family and - for the adults of our household - continue with the well-established tradition of exchanging representations of each other rather than purchasing gifts.
Fathersong III is my Christmas offering to our first-born, Nico. It reflects a little of the unforeseeable transformation that the the arrival of a longed-for child brings, and is as a song of thanks for the received grace and privilege of participating in our life as a family.
Fathersong III. For Nico Giovanni can be streamed using the media player above. A CD quality mp3 file can be downloaded here.
Production Notes
Music: Vela: Indian Summer
(Remix: VDS)
THE POEM
Fathersong III
For Nico Giovanni
Softer than a whisper you suddenly arrived
As the gentle wind turned forest leaves to song
A mother’s heart awakened by an inner certainty
A knowledge that was true and that was strong.
I knew it when I saw her transformation on that day
That the weight of childless years was now no more
And the tears that spoke of love and the touch of hands unformed
And a shining of her eyes unseen before.
We marvelled as you grew within the slowly swelling sea
As your movements rippled softly through her skin
And I sang you songs of welcome through the growing autumn nights
As you nestled in your soft warm home within.
And then the waters broke and then the waves began
No stopping now, the journey under way
So we stepped into the night, drove through the city light
To the midwives who remained with us that day.
Then the time arrived and you glided into view
And emerged into this world of change and time
And that overwhelming moment when your newly opened eyes
Spellbindingly merged your world into mine.
When alone again that night before the hearth fire burning bright
I came to realise the depth of what you’d brought
Within your trembling tiny frame all of time had come again
Every man, every woman, every thought.
You told me then the nature of this living mystery
Without a word but through the presence of your mind
Of the power of love transformed into the child now newly born
The miracle entrancing and sublime.
The door you helped to open wide was visited again
As our family grew through two then three then four
And as each of you conjoined with us our lives more richly grew
As we learned of love and patience and much more.
And then the man within the boy began to steadily emerge
As your long-abiding fullness gathered strong
Your abundant generosity to all who made the call
Sent forth an energising music and new song.
I look back now in wonder at the man you have become
And the gifts that you so ever freely share
The friendship and the music and the love you give so true
Your gentleness your patience and your care.
You have shown me more than any of the stream within our lives
That carries healing waters from above
The tenderness forgiving and the understanding word
Thank you for the fullness of your love.
RELATED POSTS
Fathersong I is my Christmas 2017 offering to our younger daughter Sofia. It offers a poetic account of her remarkable entry into our lives on a star-filled night over three decades ago, and is a celebration of her strength and courage in the face of life's unexpected visitations.
Fathersong II is my Christmas 2019 offering to our older daughter Gina. It poetically reflects on the extraordinary privilege of both participating in the arrival, growth and maturation of a beloved daughter, and of witnessing the arrival of another generation as our own children enter into parenthood.
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This short poem builds on a short personal reflection on the nature of enduring relationship during a time characterised by the prevalence of divided households.
The poem carries an acknowledgement of the tensions and the difficulties that inevitably arise within the context of marriage while also giving voice to the deeper treasures that can emerge in the living out of a sustained commitment to another.
