My interview at Poets United with the lovely Sherry Marr!
Thank you Sherry!
BLOG OF THE WEEK ~ AN UPDATE WITH AYALA
My friends, as so
many of us are grandmothers, I thought you might enjoy sharing a new Grandma’s
joy at the birth of a sweet little grandson, her first. Ayala of A Sun-Kissed Life,
has been writing some beautiful, joyous poems since the birth of wee Aiden, her
son’s first child, last February. I have been really loving them, and thought
you might too.
Sherry: Ayala, I have
been so enjoying your recent poems about your beautiful new grandson. I've been feeling your excitement and enchantment with
this precious new little being. Would you introduce him to us?
Ayala: Thank you,
Sherry! The day Aiden was born I was overcome by gratitude and love for this
small boy. There he was, my son's infant boy and I wept and wept with joy. He
is a miracle, and life is full of blessings in his presence. His smile melts
away all my worries.
photo credit: Robert Cernuda
Hello world
he
seemed to say
with
one eye open
as he
gazed at life.
Seven
pounds
fifteen
ounces
infant
warrior.
Hello
snow
blizzard
raging.
Hello
mother,
father,
grandmas,
hello
nurses,
doctors.
Hello
world,
wrinkly
fingers and toes,
dimples,
footprints
engraved on our souls.
Hello
world,
sucking
noises,
sighs,
sweet
cries,
the
sounds of the Wheels on the bus,
abc's,
paw
prints on the sidewalk.
Hello
world,
breath,
love,
peace,
I am
Aiden and
I am
ready to celebrate it all.
Sherry: And you
will celebrate right along with him, seeing the world’s wonders through his
eyes. He is beautiful, Ayala. So precious. Let’s look at one of your other early poems for him.
What do you see in your dreams
little one?
sheep that you count
white and dreamy
like the billowy clouds above.
What do you see in your dreams
when you sigh in your sleep,
green endless fields,
yellow and black Labrador retrievers?
Do you smile because you see
your mother and father gazing
at you with adoration
sparkle in their eyes.
Do you dream about
your maternal and paternal
grandmothers
rocking you to sleep gently and
lovingly.
What do you see in your dreams
little one?
The sun shining through
the gray morning
as the snow melts off
the bare trees
outside your window.
Milk and sweetness
life and love.
Do you see the future smiling on you,
what do you see my love?
Sherry: So
lovely. Newborns are so dreamy. Aiden is a family's dreams, come to life.
I enjoyed the
following poem so much. I am remembering two years ago, when Lunabella arrived
in our family. Babies are magical creatures!
Ayala: Lunabella, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl! Congratulations to you Sherry!
Sherry: We grandmas and great-grandmas are pretty lucky.
May
the sound of the sea
give you tranquillity.
May the sight of the blue topaz sky
give you tranquillity.
May the sight of the blue topaz sky
spark
your desire to fly.
May
you bloom like a flower
on the
side of the mountain
resilient
and graceful.
May
your steps be light
and
your touch gentle.
May
you be strong like
the
roots of the oak tree.
May
you find the sacred in
the
ordinary,
in the
light breeze on your face,
in the
crimson sunrise,
in the
salty taste of the ocean spray.
May
you delight in powerful words.
may
you be charmed by sweet poetry.
Play
in the moonlight,
sketch
on the large canvas of life,
bathe
underneath the stars.
Dream
big.
Love
fiercely.
Laugh,
Laugh,
and
laugh some more.
Sherry: “Dream
big”, and “Laugh”. Two excellent wishes.
How has he changed you, Ayala?
Ayala: I
wish for Aiden all the best in this universe. It may sound cliche, but in my
heart there are endless dreams for him.
Sherry: I think
the following poem explains this very well. Let’s take a look.
Your
sweetness
awakens
peace within me,
an
immense joy
that
roars like incoming
waves
breaking on the shore.
The
tides rise and fall
with
time,
as I
look into your eyes
and
our souls meet again.
My
words palpable
pour
on to the page
unassuming
brimming
with enchantment
and
truth.
You
nestled in my heart,
my
love,
pure,
immeasurable.
I wait
for the universe to lift you,
embrace
you
and
write the chapters of your life
with
peace,
felicity,
and
enlightenment.
Sherry: A
Grandmother’s love is so pure, so joyous. His parents must be over the moon!
Ayala: Yes, his parents
are over the moon! Both families are devoted to Aiden and his well being. My boys were and are my universe and my love
for Aiden is just a little sweeter if that's even possible. Our time is limited
and I savor every moment. When he sleeps over, I stay in the room that was once
his dad's and I read while I watch over him. I cherish him.
Sherry: I loved
the animals and sea creatures in the following poem, Ayala, and the thought of
all of the wonders this wee voyager has yet to discover.
Sunday,
thunder pierced the morning.
You fell asleep,
your arms stretched above your head
in surrender
to your dreams.
Lions, giraffes in Africa,
tales I tell you about the sun and
stars,
colorful starfish and
blue marlin living in the ocean as
you sink into your dreams.
You touched my face,
your nails on my skin,
happiness climbed to meet you
like the new day.
Short breaths,
joyous sounds
are things I hold as miracles,
for the love I feel is extraordinary.
Your eyelashes flutter,
evanescence, beauty
of the moment.
I cover your head with kisses,
my heart open to you,
and the universe.
Sherry: Are you looking forward to introducing him to the world and all its creatures?
Ayala: It is my dream that one day we will travel to
beautiful places that we can explore. My mom traveled with Josh and I when he
was a little boy, and I am grateful that we have those memories.
Sherry: I hope you do, Ayala. A poem
that really got my attention is the tender one you wrote to your son about his
new child.
Talk to your son,
my child.
The way I spoke to you on
moonless nights
about the stars and galaxies.
Tell him your tale:
how you loved cars,
how you simulated their sounds.
Tell him about colorful Lego bricks
you made into castles with soldiers,
about war and peace.
Tell your son
about the stories you devoured
of art and history,
how your home was filled with love,
and every breath was brimmed with
gratitude.
Tell him about your ancestors
and their will to survive the
strife and hunger of the grey war.
Tell him about bees and pollination,
the salmon's migration,
grizzly bears,
and bald eagles.
Tell him of your struggles
and your human decency.
Talk to your son,
my child.
He will grow with sparkling pride.
He will know your love is undeniable,
your love shining through his days
and nights.
Sherry: Isn’t it
amazing, when it happens to us, the legacy of the generations, living on, as we
pass on our hard-won wisdom to those who follow?
Ayala: I
wrote this poem for my son because I am aware that both he and his wife
have demanding careers, and I wanted to share the wisdom that it all
goes by so fast, and now is the time to pay attention to these fleeting
moments.
Sherry:
It does go by in a wink. I know your family history has an amazing
legacy, having overcome much that made possible this small voyager's
arrival. I am thinking especially of your poem, "A New Life", and your gripping post, "The Legacy." The poems you have written about your family history are wonderful, Ayala. There is a book in that history.
Ayala: Aiden is a part of a rich tapestry, and my
hope is that he will make his way and his mark in the universe and weave more
strands into it.
Sherry:
I am certain he will. He has a strong foundation of love under his feet
already. In closing, let’s take a look at a poem about your hopes and
dreams
for this small wayfarer.
The storm rolled in,
the trees were stark,
against the dark sapphire sky,
the roads an endless white blanket.
How quiet it gets
when it snows,
I thought the day you were born.
Love was held in each breath,
in your eyes I discovered
the constellations
of the sky.
I cradled you in my arms,
my heart racing.
I wanted to live,
to love you
through your first scraped knees,
watch over you when you climb trees,
read you bedtime stories.
I wanted to live
to watch your pearly teeth
sprout like limbs of a young tree.
I wanted to guide you to catch
your first fish,
while the seagulls watch in
anticipation
waiting to steal it.
I wanted to hear about your first
kiss,
when your lips feel like they're on
fire,
when they feel soft like billowy
clouds.
I wanted to build bridges
between
your generation and mine.
Share postcards of oceans I have
crossed,
of places you will go one day,
when you grow up to be a man.
Building your own life,
your own future.
I wanted to play games
I had played with my brothers,
when we were children,
build forts out of sheets and
pillows.
Dance with you in the kitchen,
the way I dance with your grandfather
when the harvest moon floats in the
sky.
I wanted,
I wanted,
I want
your breath to be yours,
your space to be free,
your journey to be one of discovery.
Shape your world
and mold it with your interpretation
and your intention.
Navigate your compass
with true wisdom,
questioning,
seeking,
loving.
Sherry: This is
an absolutely beautiful poem, Ayala. So completely loving. Aiden is a very
lucky little boy. He is surrounded by love.
Ayala: I am grateful
that my son and my daughter in law recently moved to Florida from Boston. They
live an hour away from us, but that is so much closer, and it enables us to be in
Aiden's life and watch him grow up.
When I am not with Aiden, I long to be. I
worry about him as I worried about my children. My thoughts are always with
him.
I began writing
for Aiden when he was in the womb. As he grew month by month and the app would
tell me his size as a bluberry or another fruit or vegetable, I would make up
little sentences about it. I register them all in a leather bound journal in
which I write Aiden's poems to give to him someday. I want him to feel my heart
and know how much I love him.
Sherry: That is so beautiful, Ayala. What a treasure that book will be in years to come. I imagine you
want the world to be better than it is, for him, and his future.
Ayala: At the moment the
world feels fragile and complicated on every level. My wish is to leave a
better world for Aiden and all the children.
Sherry:
Humankind has to work hard on this, extra hard right now. Thank you,
Ayala, for this sweet and loving look into your life and its joys. Aiden
is so precious.
Ayala: Thank you,
Sherry. I loved talking with you. I appreciate all the kindness you have given
me. It also thrills me to know that Aiden will have this interview to look back
on.
Wasn't this lovely, my friends? Do come back and see who we talk to next. Who knows? It might be you!
