Dear David,

 

Glad that you come

Safe and sound

Amid much joy and little pain

 

I was gently reminded by Uncle Neal

More of my dutiful turn of pen power

Than your timely arrival

 

I will be the first to admit

To be a poet today is not easy

Especially in Xiangyin family

And in a year of nine newborns

 

We human race are in a rat race

From sunrise to sundown

My first words of advise to you?

Do not hurry up for walking and running

Crawl as much as you like

Until you are able to stand

 

We have little time to bask in the sunshine

Until we are reminded by the overgrown lawn

We have little time to gaze the stars and moon

Unless the roof is ripped open in a hurricane

 

We have little time to listen to the singing bird

Unless we watch some episodes of animal world

We have little time to stand in the breezy wind

Until we open our windows in our hasty driving

 

We have little time to read history

Until we visit the cinema for Pearl Harbor

We have little time to touch the chick and calf

Unless their meat come to our dinner table

 

Go camping is usually a vacation

Not a way of life like in the days of Abraham

Go fishing is usually a vocation

But few today want to be like St.Peter

(You ought to thank him for at least one thing

You are born in St.Peter's Hospital

Although he was not a physician)

 

I played croquet only once in a decade

Watching football was my past pastime hobby

Playing soccer is my feeble attempt to stay young

Pitching softball is out of my fatherly duty

Washing dishes is my reluctant remedy

 

My second words of advise to you?

Do not be discouraged

In spite of our busy-ness

Consider becoming a poet

For a poet finds ways

To savor and relish

Even the unimpressed

 

David is a good name

My son's middle name is David

It symbolizes a person after God's heart

David was a courageous young lad

Overpowering the enemy giant

David was a good Hebrew poet

Penning down psalms after psalms

David was a good Israel king

For much of his life

David was a sinner too

But he was repentant

 

I checked today's events and births in history

Located in cyberspace at http://todayinhistory.com

I will bet that you can make a real difference

To put June 26, 2001 on notice

 

Thus my third words of advise to you?

Press on for the wisdom of the Lord

And make a real impact in blessing many many more

 

For now just go back to your suckling of milk

For it is really good food

I must not forget to mention

Your Daddy was utterly concerned about

The postpartum beauty of your Mommy

Your way of coming out

Just gave him a shot of relief

Rest assured that you have combined

All the good genes from them

 

The girl is probably born around this time

Do not forget to pray for her

If you know what I mean

 

(Composed on June 26, 2001)