Will It Be Your Arms?
Mary Rita Schilke Sill 2007
I am a gift, created especially
for this world
though I cannot speak
- yet -
to tell you this.
My heart beats fast
when I see
one who might lift me up
and call me by name.
My soul searches for love
to hold me and mold me
into the unique masterpiece
I want to become.
Each day passes
and I linger
without a family,
without a home.
How I wish to breathe grace
into your life.
We could hug teddy bears
and have tea parties,
play peek-a-boo,
chase fireflies,
and
laugh at the rain.
If you hold me close
I could hear your heart beat.
Certainly, no lullaby
would be more beautiful.
As our eyes meet
I feel your smile.
I memorize it
and know it is something
I never want to forget ... ever.
My hands are little
but my heart is big.
Embrace me,
empower me
and
never let go - until
I can fly on my own.
I know one day
someone
will see me as the precious package
they want.
I will feel the smile of my dreams
and see arms reach for me.
... someday ...
Will it be your arms?
(Written and dedicated to Joe and Tatiana DiDonato and The Orphan Foundation)
Well Done
Mary Rita Schilke Sill (C) 2004
Sometimes you flash me a smile
And I swear
You look two again.
I remember
How you were the first among your peers
To master swings, and monkey bars.
From the beginning
Anything boys could do
You could do better.
Excellence was your philosophy
Before
You knew you had one.
You painted life
With imagination
And prisms seemed to reflect from your angel-smile.
We waddled a little here and there
Finding our "sea legs"
And where we fit into each others' heart.
You found the courage
To feel comfortable in your own skin
And I found the courage to let you.
I had been warned
To enjoy your baby days.
The teen years, I was told,
Came "cursed."
Instead
You shared your journey -
A plethora of activities and friends.
And something happened
Along the way ...
We became friends too.
With unparalleled passion
You embraced
The gifts you've been given.
You know what you're about.
You are "the living expression
Of God's kindness
- in your face - your eyes - your smile."
You have already
Made the world a better place.
Well done.
( Written for my daughter, Jennifer, 2004)
My Rosie
Mary Rita Schilke Sill (C) 2006
She smiles
and glistens everything around her
like pixie-dust settling in every nook and cranny.
Her pencil floats
around paper as quickly as
images float through her imagination.
Sometimes she steps
into a different world
and when you see her at work
you fell tugged into that happy place too.
She moves
with the elegance of a prima ballerina
and swiftness of a cheetah;
light on her feet - and fast.
Her grace
follows her into the water
where she strokes with 'Swan Lake' arms
and kicks
as if 'Jaws' were nipping at her toes.
She is at my elbow
with a hug when I need it most
and tells me
she loves me
like a gift laid at my feet.
She taught me
to see the flower
even though we have felt the thorns.
After all, she is my Rosie ...
she smiles
and glistens everything around her.
(Written in Boston, April 2006, for my daughter, Andrea Rose)
He Stands
Mary Rita Schilke Sill (C) 2011
He stands
with the brawn of a Marine
and the heart of a teddy bear:
honorable, tenacious, tough.
He stands
clever, quick-witted, and wise.
Ready
to usher-in a grin
when it's needed most.
He stands
embracing a challenge
taking a risk.
The sun on his shoulders -
the stars in the palm of his hand.
He stands
calling to life
six strings of a guitar;
an Irish Drunken Lullaby.
He stands
knowing
some men climb mountains
while others conquer them.
He stands
believing
God does not confine His love
to the borders of a church.
He stands
thoughtful, eager, and smart.
He stands
as my son.
I could not be more proud.
(Written in honor of Josh's high school graduation)
Friends Are Like the Sun
Mary Rita Schilke Sill (C) 1980
I watched the sun nestle down in the clouds
camouflaging them in colors
of red and pink and distant blues.
I watched as it touched and changed shadows
and water and me
inside out.
I am absolutely sure
that friends are like the sun.
The joy is the same in their coming
as is the sadness
at their parting -
and sometimes
you might not see them
for a whole hour
or night
or more ...
But you know that they will come back
like the sun
because there is promise
in the stars.
(Published in Mary Englebreit's The Blessings of Friendship, 2002)
Photo credit by Gary Riggs