Today's post is a poem by Garrison Keillor:
When I first saw you, kid, you were tiny and thin
And slimy and red and your head as mushed in.
I said to your mother "He looks kind of sloppy,
And two pound four ounces ain't big for a crappie."
But something about you, the look in your eyes,
Said you fully intend to grow to full size.
They slapped your backside and you let out a cry,
And I said "We will keep him, at least we shall try."
Some babies are born in nine months, by the clock.
Some babies are born, and they sit up and talk.
Some babies are born and no doctor is there.
But some babies come in on a wing and a prayer.
Poor little fetus as big as your hand.
Poor little fish thrown up on dry land.
Who came in late April, though he had till July.
Too small to live and too precious to die.
They shipped you downstairs to the big Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit's computerized cradle
And attached you to wires and stuck you with tubes
Monitored closely by digital cubes.
And thanks to the latest neonatal therapeusis
And regular basting with greases from gooses
And hot chicken soup intravenously fed
You did not fade away, you grew up instead.
We'll always remember the months that you spent
With tubes in your head in the oxygen tent
And the mask on your face, the wires attached,
Sweet little baby who was only half hatched.
I'm sure you'll grow up and mature and extend
To six feet six inches and become a tight end.
But I'll always remember each doctor and nurse in
The NICU who helped make you a person
The kid who crash landed, who was carried away,
Who survived it, this bundle we bring home today.
- Garrison Keillor
God, I look forward to the day we get to bring Cole home. In the meantime, we will daydream and read poetry while we keep a close watch on our little loved one as he fights his battles and sleeps his recoveries.
5 comments:
I've never heard of Garrison Keillor. He sounds a little bit like Seuss and a little bit like Silverstein but this poem in particular is a lota bit awesome. Brilliant rhymes, this guy. OT: Have the nurses mentioned how long it will take Cole to get to "normal baby sized"?
@ Chris: Garrison Keillor is great! He is the host for a radio show called A Prairie Home Companion. That's how I know him anyway.
Regarding his "estimated full size date" I have no idea, brother! His due date is at the end of January, so maybe he'll be "normal" sized then, but I don't know if this situation will affect his development rate.
Oh, THAT Garrison Keillor. I was thinking some obscure beatnik with a beret. Yeah, love that show.
What an awesome poem. It doesn't trivialize the scary bits of a premature baby, but it doesn't make the whole thing "precious" either. Seems just perfect, although you're the best judge.
wow, that's amazing. whenever I try to write poetry or kids' stories I was always afraid to try really hard to rhyme in case it sounded too forced but that one really said exactly what it set out to say in a way that was absolutely genuine and rhythmically and wordily stunning. so inspired by that so I was thinking...
hello in there my new friend cole!
though your body isn't big you've got a giant soul
you came early like "oh hello there, surprise!"
but in this crazy game called life you are the real grand prize
you were brought in to the world by two major champs
who awesomely got married at a summer camp
they've got loads of adoring family and friends
whose love of them to you will certainly extend
and whether your name is helfet, hiliker or stein
the whole crew's got your back, we'll make sure you're always fine
from new york, boston, south africa and california
will come love and endless kisses and hugs, I have to warn ya
so get ready for your coming out party
where everyone tells you they love you from the bottom of their heartys
ok ok I pushed it on that last line, I know "hearty" isnt a word but I think it should be!
ps. i'm still working on the rhyme scheme for "there once was a boy from massachusetts" so I'll get back to you on that one
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