To My Unborn Grandson

Dearest boy,
I am counting down the days
and knitting. I am amazed
at the butterflies of anticipation,
imagining your eyes, mouth and nose,
your tiny fingers and toes,
the fresh-baked smell from the top
of your head. I can’t wait to sing
the songs I once sang to your mother,
and the ones mine once sang to me.
I have so many stories to tell
and poems to read to you until
your eyelashes flutter and I will keep
watch as you drift off to sleep.

Kim M. Russell, 2018

Related image
Visiting Grandma by Felix Schlesinger

My response to dVerse Poets Pub Meeting the Bar with a Letter

Björn is our barkeeper today and he tells us that one of the poems he read at school was written by Anna-Maria Lenngren (1754-1817) and entitled: Some words of advice to my dear daughter, if I had one. From the title he realised that it was written in the form of a letter and was about the absence of a daughter. He says that writing a letter to someone, real or imaginary, is one of the oldest forms of poetry, dating back to Horace and Ovid, and can be in the form of a love letter to a dear one, an open letter to a wider audience or a letter to a imaginary friend.

He gives us three things to remember when writing a letter poem. We must think about the person to whom the letter is addressed; about the place we’re writing from; and why we are writing the letter.

As an example and for inspiration, Björn has shared with us a letter poem by Elizabeth Bishop: Letter to N.Y.

91 thoughts on “To My Unborn Grandson”

    1. Thank Yuri, Lynn. I’ve just finished knitting a blanket with 24 sheep on it and had to embroider their faces and legs – in time to take it with me tomorrow! 😊🐑

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  21. I found this to be very moving and heartfelt, You have described the power of love so sweetly, even before meeting face to face. This line was absolutely precious….”the fresh-baked smell from the top of your head”. I’m excited for you, Kim!

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    1. Thank you, Mish! I’ll hopefully be off to be with my daughter in the next couple of hours, snow allowing. It’s a four hour trip, so I hope he doesn’t arrive before I do!

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  24. A very sweet poem—I have a couple of born grandsons, and a little granddaughter. They are a great deal of fun. I have made little books for them. It is a wonderful exercise and this a very sweet and thoughtful poem. Good luck. K.

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    1. Thank you, Karin. I plan to make books for Lucas, too. I have already collected a lot of books for him from the various activities at local libraries and schools. I like to picture him as a reader. 😊

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  26. I could feel the writer’s happiness. Antipatiom of the coming birth of a grandchild can be so very pleasureable for the grandparents. Especially so for the building of a new personal relationship. We have our youngest granddaughter with us for this year’s spring break, as we did last year. She’s eight.
    ..

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  41. Seeing the world through a brand new grandson’s eyes is such a magical journey. I can feel the anticipation, the readiness to share his journey, and all the songs and stories. Lovely.

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