I remember with absolute clarity

the moment you were born,

pacing outside like a father

from an old Pathe newsreel

or Ealing Comedy,

my life in black and white

as I chewed on nails,

too old fashioned to be

in the delivery suite,

was not the man’s place really.

I saw you very quickly, a blur,

a near painful remainder

that life can be cruel, fleeting, obstinate,

downright mean and spiteful,

as you were rushed past me

not breathing, blue,

you were leaving me destroyed.

Life breathes, I smile at the thought

that I followed you down where they breathed

life into you my beautiful boy

who could count to twenty in German before

he was three, life breathes and hope was restored

my beautiful boy, the hope

of a new century on the horizon,

my beautiful boy, life breathes,

now

take that breath and be extraordinary,

be kind, be conscious, be watchful,

never fall into the illusion of quiet,

be thoughtful

and be loved;

life breathes my boy

never waste that moment.

 

Ian D. Hall 2017