Poem for my daughter

The umbilical cord is blue,
The placenta is black and red,
The newborn's skin is purple,
And now, I'm a dad.

It took seven minutes -
No more than that,
My love stands, leans on me,
Then comes out a head

And then - an announcement
To all alive:
The baby is here -
Greet her, husband and wife!

How do I feel
Do you suppose
When you reach for my eyes
Or snatch at my nose

Or look at my face
With wise giant clear eyes
Appearing informed
By multiple lives

And yet also open
To everything here -
Whatever world you come from,
Greetings, my dear!

"Num-num" for milk,
"Bum-bum" to get changed -
Both words you know
At one month of age,

You look like a bear cub
When your mom sits you up
And resound like a trumpet
When you give out a burp

Or you happily laugh
When you stand on her thighs
And she holds you up
And looks in your eyes

And when I say
You will grow up strong
You don't cry any more
And then stare along -

Everyone says
"What a beautiful child"
Lovely and thoughtful
Peaceful and mild

Wherefrom do you come?
What do you know?
What is your truth?
Into what will you grow?

What will you teach us?
What will you become?
Put pieces together
Into what sum?

How to combine
Wisdom of soul
With what exists
In this world?

All that you have been,
All that you see,
All that is given
And what you will be -

Masterpiece, artist,
Creation, creator,
Nature, mankind,
Shaped and the shaper,

Part you eternal,
Part me and my wife,
Part what you'll learn
And part all of life -

In those giant eyes
As you look to the ceiling
Full of great thought
Full of great feeling

Full of everything
That is true:
Lillian Gaia Shambat,
I love you!

Ilya Shambat