Grandchild

A baby's daze of days begins to clear
when shapes resolve to objects, sounds to sense
and senses all combine to make appear
the real world - still unreal in consequence

of innocent ignorance of unseen cause.
Then days become a riot of strange delight -
kaleidoscopic faces, mimed applause,
a chaos of novelties that soon incite

rapt exploration, first by touch, then taste,
entrancing all the hours of day till night
restrains the embattled brain from too much haste.
The oddysey resumes at each first light

when sleepy crew wakes up to captain's call
and port routine re-victuals for the race
ahead; new voyages of discovery trawl
the ocean of experience in space.

Discovering legs that scissor to a crawl
expands the universe, opening new doors
to galaxies of rooms whose alien sprawl
needs concentrated study of its laws.

Black holes of cupboards understairs support
daring ascents which step by step increase
exhiliration; doubt though can abort
the missions with the subsequent release

of energy for use in other ways:
for, realising legs can take the weight
and feet plus ankles balance, the odd graze
will not deter this now child standing straight.

To stand upright, albeit clinging on
to legs of people, furniture or dogs,
heightens awareness that more can be done
and from a new perspective catalogues

additions to the world's variety.
If standing tall expands horizons, then
they can be gained once the complexity
of falling forward on one's feet like men

do can be mastered. First though imitate
the action of the crab - sideways along
the shelving sofa ledge, then circulate
the rocky coffee table to the throng

of kitchen unit cliffs whose towering height
freezes the fearful grip; eventually
stiffen the knees and from that stranded plight
accept the helping hand to totter free.

Just one small step for man on earth - to walk !
The giant leap is to the spoken word
and when this infant once begins to talk,
every man's epic journey will be heard.