(for my daughter on her seventh birthday)
One chord attached you to me, enclosed us in a symphony;
Two feet you found your way around, holding papa’s hand, you learned to stand;
Three pirouettes, your graceful steps, the living room became your ballroom;
Four ever questioning, wondering, why are we here, where did we come from, what’s it all for?
Five days a week, you went off to meet new friends, new worlds, your lovely self unfurled;
Six and more books you read, on couches, in cars, in beds, words flew and stories grew;
Seven wonders of the world, seven days of the week, seven colors of the rainbow,
seven notes in a scale, seven steps of Buddha, and seven years of YOU!
Shannon Harvey is a visual artist and writer living in Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and daughter. She has worked as a journalist in New Mexico, writing for the Taos News on arts and culture. Her visual art is exhibited widely. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College.
