A Child

A child is a candle for faith --
a light for the darkness of adult doubts.

A child is a song --
a never-ending note of hope and life.

A child is a painting --
a multicolored affirmation of moving beauty.

A child is a dance --
a natural rhythm of life and growth.

A child is a story --
a once-upon-a-time reminding us
that we were all children once, and an open-ended ending
reminding us that tomorrow is a challenge, not a fear.

A child is life --
its loves and hates, its happiness and sorrows,
its courage and cowardice, its softness, its roughness,
its chaos and calm, its noise and silence,
its faith and terrors, its joy of being
that is sufficient in and of itself.

A child is a search --
a never-ending, vigorous exploration for new,
better, more open routes
to replace the deaths of a tired past.

A child is a gift --
a present of naturalness and truth.

Margery Layton
(in the 60;s)

Heart Homes

You visit in the home of my heart

and I in your's.

Friends sharing cups of liquid love,

plates of quiet warmth

and napkins of true knowing.

Remembrance softens and glistens

with present vibrancy,

as past and nows breathe future pathways,

woven through our friendships

with golden threads and light-strewn crystals

shining through the dark.

Margery Layton

1989

(Dedicated with love, light and music to all the children)

A Tree That Grows Like Me

Now all the colored leaves

have left the changing -kind trees.

Each branch is bare,

but I know where

to find a tree that stays.

It is green, it smells so clean.

It tickles and prickles so new.

It's called evergreen.

Come see what I mean.

I know you'll like it, too!

I'll show you how it stands.

Stretch tall and lift your hands.

It grows like this and blows a kiss

when wind blows through its green.

It will be our special tree,

a present for me and for you.

It's called evergreen.

Come see what I mean.

It's straight and clean and true!

Words and music by Margery Layton

(copyright 1968)

Sparkles

We are each a special star,

just like each of you all are.

We are each important

in our special ways.

We shine bright,

we shine free,

special people, you and me.

We are each a learner and

we are each a teacher, too.

We have fun exploring ways

to keep on shining bright and true.

Words and music by Margery Layton

Copyright 1993

A Flower

A color,

A smell,

A growing up,

A stretching out,

A blowing by the wind,

A standing still,

A being shined on,

A being rained on,

A being mooned on,

A being there in the ground,

A saying "no" to the weeds,

A staying a flower!

Margery Layton
1973