Our Fragile Emissary

This was posted on one of our favorite blogs-- With a Little Moxie yesterday and Meriah said it was okay to re-post here.  We find inspiration and smiles at With a Little Moxie on most days.  Hope you enjoy this beautiful poem as well.


Our Fragile Emissary
by Nancy Tupper Ling


With modern screening and such
they wonder why
you're here, on this earth
in our home
and in our arms,
after all, anyone
with any sense would have resolved
this problem of you
pre-birth, pre-pain.


Blonde beauty,
tiny as you are,
you catch their stares,
strangers' second glances
into tender baby blues.
And our young
sweet ears hear whisperings
("Down's," "defects")
words dropped loosely
at extra-chromosomed girls.


With such stinging receptions,
we long to shelter you,
surround you; keep your 
gentle smiles to ourselves.
Instead, we hold you
up, for others to see;
let you, our fragile emissary
speak to an imperfect world.


It reminds me so much of Joey if you changed "words dropped loosely at extra-chromosomed girls" to "boys." 


My favorite line is "Instead, we hold you up, for others to see; let you, our fragile emissary speak to an imperfect world."  I LOVE this line.  It is what we do.  What so many, many families do who are out there advocating and educating.  We hold our babies and our children up for the world to see that love does not count chromosomes.