The Day You Were Born

-for Neve Anya

They say you cried and cried
and your father, new and tender
in this strange task himself,
leaned
down
and whispered in your ear
and the moment you heard him,
felt his breath on your skin,
immediately
you stopped.

And then everyone in the room stopped for you.

That is the first story, Neve.

There will be others.
There probably already are in the few hours
that have passed.
Later, there will be light and darkness
gentle ladies and discovery.
There will be so many stories, we will forget half of them.
But that was the first.

And there is always something magical
about the first.