A Child's Mere Pencil Sketch

A Child's Mere Pencil Sketch 

A child's mere pencil sketch is every religion's
best description of God. 

Who then will ever take issue or argue over
such a naive and innocent portrait? 

Surely the intelligent, compassionate, and wise
would not bother with such. 

And who with a living heart would not encourage 
a child's art in hopes that someday,

someday a great truth and work might be gifted 
to our world through their soul's strenghth, 
insights and talents

and liberate and unite the spheres within a body,
for inherent in true art is emancipation.

And do you have worlds within yourself? Indeed.
The night sky a microcosm of you.

The oil in the lamp the sun burns come from 
forests you once were, from rich deposits you left. 

             I love Kahlil Gibran and especially his epic work, The Prophet. Below is what he wrote on children:

On Children

Kahlil Gibran

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.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, 

and He bends you with His might 

that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies, 

so He loves also the bow that is stable.

              
             There is an angelic quality to all children that I believe transcends all cultures, religions, languanges, etc. We get together to champion their accomplishments and their loses seem collectively more detrimental. I've always been partciularly interested in child prodigies, and have been following Jacob Barnett's story since he was 9. Recently I watched a THNKR (an awesomely cerebral YouTube channel if you aren't familiar with it) video (below), on Kevin Doe and it really showcases the tremendous power of children - both creative and transformative.

Kevin Doe (2012), TNHKR