THERE IS A BOY
IN MY LIFE, THERE IS A BOY,
WITH EACH DAY COME NEW STRUGGLES,
AS AN INFANT, HE STRUGGLES TO SIT UPRIGHT,
A SIMPLE SOUND LIKE MAMA ON THE TIP OF HIS TONGUE,
AS A TODDLER, HIS TINY LIMBS ARE CLUMSY AND AWKWARD,
CRAWLING IS A CHORE, WALKING SEEMS LIGHT YEARS AWAY,
AS A PRESCHOOLER, WITH MUCH FRUSTRATION, THE WORDS COME,
THE BOY LEARNS TO RUN, TAKES AN INTEREST IN THE WORLD AROUND HIM,
AS A FIVE YEAR OLD, THE WIDE EYED STARES OF OTHER CHILDREN,
TELL HIM HE IS DIFFERENT,
THE FRUSTRATION MOUNTS AND THE FRUSTRATION TURNS TO ANGER,
AS A SIX YEAR OLD, PEOPLE COME AND GO IN HIS LIFE,
EACH ONE PLAYING A DIFFERENT PART IN THE SLOW PROCESS OF LEARNING,
AS A SEVEN YEAR OLD, THE LASHING OUT AND THE LONELINESS TAKE HOLD,
THE BOY IS SWIRLING IN A VORTEX OF UNCONTROLLABLE EMOTIONS,
BUT AS EACH NEW DAY BEGINS, I TAKE HIS HAND,
TO GUIDE HIM ON THE PATH I KNOW HE WAS MEANT TO FOLLOW,
TO GIVE HIM THE STRENGTH I DRAW FROM DEEP INSIDE,
I LOVE THIS BOY, FULL OF COURAGE AND DETERMINATION,
THIS BOY, MY RAY OF SUNSHINE,
MY SON
BY JENN MOTHER OF TYLER XXYY AND ALYSSA