In the summer of 2009 I was asked to offer something to a silent auction at our church. I decided to offer up a commissioned poem. The woman who bought it asked me to write a poem to celebrate the birth of a child to a young couple in our congregation. I was glad to do so, but wrestled for sometime with how to write a poem for a couple that I knew, but not that well, so that it would be meaningful to them without requiring me to pry into their lives (it was to be a surprise for them).

At the end of November I decided to attempt an acrostic blessing for them: a poem that offered more or less universal words of blessing for their child that became unique because it was built on the frame of their names. I used the mother’s name to mark out the left margin, the father’s name to mark the right margin, and the baby’s name to “trickle” down the middle of the poem. It came out beautifully. It stunned me. Id never attempted this before and wasn’t sure that it could be well done.

Three weeks later, just in time for Christmas, I repeated the feat for each of my two grandchildren. The poems are one-of-a-kind creations. Not easy to do, but so beautiful when finished. A bit like running a marathon: you know your body/mind will ache for taking it on, but that it will reward you well.

I am willing to do these poems for others (and for other occasions): births, baptisms, blessings/weddings, anniversaries, etc. I can’t do them for free. I’m too poor, and they’re too time-consuming to do well. I’m happy to negotiate a price depending on the intricacy of the words involved. Imagine $100-$200 for a commissioned piece of art that will be a keepsake forever. Contact me (drw59@comcast.net) if interested.

Here are the three poems I refer to above: