Hello Dear Ones!
It has been a rather dreary day, weather-wise. I needed a bit of a lift. Poetry always provides that lift for me. I was moved to peruse through some of Mattie Stepanek‘s poetry with hopes of adding some exceptional quality to the emotional energy that seemed to be lacking in my day. I was not disappointed!
As I was preparing this post, I also went to Mattie’s website to happily discover the following article:
The World Premiere of “Heartsongs”, composed by Joseph Martin and based on the inspirational works of American child-poet Mattie J.T. Stepanek will be performed by the Houston Children’s Choir at Carnegie Hall on June 6 at 8:30 pm. The concept of placing the young poet’s words into a choral setting, has been transformed by the composer into “a gorgeous musical experience that truly captures Mattie’s universally inspirational and life-affirming message”…
That event took place a mere few days ago.
I’m sharing with you today, from his Journey Through Heartsongs book, Mattie’s accolade to someone in his life (obviously Mr. Thompson according to the poem’s title) who loves poetry. Being a poet, and loving the art as much as Mattie did, this poem is a gift to all people whose love of that art brings us all together in joy and the wonder of life.
For Mr. Thompson
The people who like poetry are special.
They are the same people who hear
Lullabies and wind chimes
When the birds are noisy together.
They are the ones who see
Star-gifts in every season –
Tree-stars in the fall,
Snow-stars in the winter,
Dandelion-fairy-stars in the spring, and
Lightning-bug-stars in the summer.
They are the ones who have
Favorite colors that are wonderful gifts
Like sunset or rainbow or treasure.
They are the ones who have a
Song in their heart and
Words in their mind that
Come together and slip out
Into the air or onto paper as a gift
To someone else, or even themselves.
The people who like poetry are probably
The ones who really like life,
And who know how to celebrate
Even when things are sad or happy.
We remember that sometimes,
Even if we don’t understand why,
That the rain falls for a reason.
We remember how important it is
To play after a storm, just because
We need to keep playing and living.
And, we are the people who remember
To say thank You to God for our gifts.Mattie J.T. Stepanek
May 1996
Keep in mind that Mattie was six years old when he wrote that! Yes, only six!
Mattie died in 2004. His valiant , courageous and heroic life lives on in concerts (such as the one mentioned above) and his books. His passion also lives on through his mother, Jeni Stepanek. Please be sure to check out the website as she continues her son’s legacy and, in turn, travels her own journey to healing.
In Light & Laughter & with the deepest appreciation to Mattie,
Marcia
P.S. If you like what you have read above, do check out also two other posts I have dedicated to Mattie’s poetry: positively poetry and my very first Poetry Corner post.