Pearls
December 7, 2005

On this day you entered the world,
New, shining, unknown.
The jesting message sent
To your father across the ocean—
A smile from you suffering mother,
Alone with one so new—
“Baby Pearl has arrived.”

You grew, explored, lived at full speed.
The world was your stage,
From cowboy plays to
The drama of growing up too smart.
Each new oyster of adventure opened itself to you,
Uncovering, you discovering, a pearl.

As a child, I remember sitting next to the most beautiful woman on earth,
Admiring, mimicking, adoring.
Your glowing, ever-ready smile to greet me,
Support me, guide me.
I would reach for your hand,
And trace the double line of your pearls.

Not so long ago, in a gesture so like
Everything you did,
You worked moonlight hours
To buy for us, your girls, a gift.
On Christmas we did not expect much,
But found, in each tiny box,
A string of pearls.

Now, as you seem so far,
Each glimpse of our past is a treasure.
Memories come, unexpected,
Familiar, beautiful.
They glow for a moment in my heart,
I catch that mischievous little wink of yours.
I treasure them.
Each tiny pearl.