behold, the child

begin at the pupil, black
a reminder to the rest of its roots
oblivion
and reflections dance on that spot
with mysticism enough to hold galaxies
exploding out from that pupil
rainbows and fireflies
colors in a frenzy, alive
yes, alive
and the white surrounding it all
purity, innocence
also a reminder
for this being belongs to the spectrum of emotion
each and every mark of it
each and every

do these eyes
of the child see differently
than the greyed spectacles of a hardened old man
would reds be ignored, blues be overlooked
would the yellows go unwanted?
i think not
does the child not flood wonder
does it not leave a trail of curiosity behind?
its trails and floods i would think
surpass any put forth by a thirtysomething housewife
whose aspirations wash away each night with the dirty dishes
does the child’s ear discriminate
between a songbird’s cry and a motorcar’s rumble
as would a city-driven businessman?
when does the bird’s charm end
when does a machinery’s melancholy melody
become so commonplace as to be soothing?
when does the bleak replace the beauty
and if children told us, how surely we would ignore
if only we could keep the eyes
and the ears
hold onto the full spectrum
embrace it with a promise of forever

oh, to be a child and breathe
to smell honeysuckle and strawberry for the first time
to feel the warmth of sun on bare backs
and cool streams on bare toes
to gaze upward every once in a while
think not of the plain, common blue
but the clouds, enormous
juggernauts of nothing, floating
perhaps made of imagination solely
and at night
that imagination turns to stars
against a shade lonelier and more hollow than blue
and yet to the same eyes fuller and brimming with life

as a child’s eyes widen
he can see the stars for what they are
patches of life each one
each with its own bundle of stars
forever in motion
children, each one
for does a planet not see each angle of its star
as does the child see each fleck of the spectrum
of emotion and life
as is the child forever in motion
as is the child the bringer of life
as is the child the building block for a universe

behold, the child