For Mr. Thompson 

May 1996 
Journey through Heartsongs
by Mattie J.T. Stepanek

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 -
Tress-stars in the fall,
Snow-stars in the winter,
Dandelion-fairy-starts in the spring, and 
Lighting-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 the paper as a gift
To someone else, or even themselves
The people who like poetry are probably
The people who 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.

When I read this it touched in a way I can not put into words.