Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Did Mr. G. Have Kids?





























Your children are not your children. 
They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love, but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls. For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.... 

-Kahil Gibran  

Did Mr. G have kids? Did he put his son or daughter on the bus for the first day of kindergarten? 


Or middle-school? oddly the same feeling as kindergarten.

And though they are with you, they belong not to you.

I get what he's saying. 

On an intellectual level

or if I let go into the Great Awareness that is beyond this material life, this seen life, beyond breathing and blood and birthing my girls, beyond breast milk, and bus stops.


Beyond belonging?
"You know, parents aren't really allowed at the bus stop," said the Mom who has way more kids than I do. Five? 
Clearly an old hat at this.
"Well, Claire and I like to talk in the car," I said, "that's what we did last year so..."
"I'm kidding," she said. 
"Well, it's the first day, right?" I said.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth...

Jesse was my first arrow.
Now, Claire.
I am a good bow. 
Michael too. 
At 2:58, I will be at the bus stop hiding behind a tree 
to see how my arrow fared.
I'm certain she'll be full of great stories, as always. 
Fodder for this mom/writer/bow.

We are all life's longing for itself ~ 

middle school, middle age...makes no difference.

3 comments:

  1. A friend of mine just suggested your blog. She knows that I sent my little guy off to Kindergarten today...I blogged about it as well...lol. What just blew my mind though is that I am a huge Gibran fan and your line about him putting his kid on a bus made me giggle. Out loud. I am hooked in only one post. Thanks so much!

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  2. Hello Cookie!

    So very wonderful to see your beautiful face and read your comment. Congrats on sending your little guy to kindergarten. It's such a gigantic thing. I've been reflecting more and more on motherhood and all the layers of it. I love Gibran too, and he just popped up for me yesterday...Welcome to This Being Alive!!!

    Thank you!!!

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  3. Hmm...Now that I have one, I think Mr. G is a bit esoteric, a bit distant...if he had them, he probably spent a lot of time writing poems, in his study, by himself...maybe with a cat. I'm not sure I love this poem. Or maybe I'm just going to put up a bit of a fight if anyone tells me she is not my own.

    Miss you Bets!

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