Tuesday 29 December 2020

Fathersong III. For Nico Giovanni



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

 

1. Fathersong I. For Sofia Celestia

 

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.


 

2. Fathersong II. for Gina Sarina


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.




3. After the Tempest


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.

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