Poetry and Storytelling by Kai
WORDS BY KAI. This site is the home of creative expression fueled by passion and inspired by the sparks of a my starlight muse. On these pages you will find my creative voice in lines of poetry, thoughtful essays and commentary, creative storytelling, and in an array of beautiful words to inspire the logophile in us all.
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- ORIGINAL POETRY [A -F] [G-M] [N-Z]
- THOUGHTS AND COMMENTARY - [Personal Narratives] [Informative Articles] [Social Commentary]
- CREATIVE STORYTELLING
Learn new words with the Word of the Day and the topic Word Lists. Build your new vocabulary with new words, old words, obscure words and untranslatable words from faraway lands.
THOUGHTS AND COMMENTARY
Commentaries and essays on a variety of topics including parenting, the capacity for love, emotions, mindfulness and social issues.
Directory - Personal Narrative
A Boy and His Rhino
A mother understands what a child does not say.
Today was more than just a trip to Animal Kingdom. It was more than roller coasters and funnel cakes and souvenirs. I had one important mission to make happen today no matter what else we had planned. It was my mission as the mother of a child with a beautiful heart. My goal was to help him create an unforgettable experience that is meaningful and deeply personal to him. This moment was only for him and no one else would really understand or appreciate its significance except him and his mother. My mission was very important to both of us and the true beauty in its significance was the simplicity. I brought Cody to Animal Kingdom for the sole purpose of seeing a real life Rhino. Everything else always came second to this one simple moment.
Let me paint you a picture of innocence, love and joy. Most kids love dogs or cats but my son loves rhinos. It started before he was even born. I bought a 10 dollar stuffed rhino from Target for my unborn son a few months before his birth. I had an animal theme in his nursery and the rhino made a good addition to the decor. He looked good next to the stuffed giraffe and the lion. He wasn’t pretty at all, had a drab grey color and was really nothing special in any way. But he was an exotic enough animal enough to keep up with my theme. I never saw him as anything more than an accent in my decoration.
Rhino started out as a nursery decoration but then my baby took full ownership and made him his own. First he made the rhino a pacifier. He discovered he liked the velvet texture of the tail and would self soothe by rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. As he grew he kept him real close and carried him around, babbled to him like he was real, and never failed to take him to bed at night. Rhino was an attachment of him and he was the happiest when Rhino by his side. It didn’t matter to him that Rhino wasn’t cute or especially cuddly or was usually filthy. His tail eventually got worn down and his body went flat. He had uneven stitches to close up holes. But none of that mattered because he was never just a toy or stuffed animal. Rhino was and still is deeply treasured, highly valued, and unconditionally loved by my son. Rhino is his best friend. His significance in my son’s life makes him irreplaceable and if he were lost I would do anything in my power to find him.
Today’s mission was for Cody to see a real life Rhino and it was a success. He was treated to several resting Rhinos both black and white. It may sound simple and even common place to see a zoo animal. But I was mesmerized when a blissfully pure smile of innocence, joy and delight crossed the face of my child as he saw his own Rhino come to life with his own eyes. I felt the amazement and the wonder and the curiosity flow from him like a strong source of organic energy. This was the moment I was hoping for. This was the moment that made my trip perfect and real. This moment was captured by us both and a memory created that can never be forgotten.
It’s not the time off from work, or the fancy hotel, rich food, or theme park attractions that make this vacation memorable. It’s moments when I watch my child experience the beauty of life and translates it to a feeling that helps him better understand the world and how he fits into it. It’s moments like this when my own wonder and curiosity is recaptured and my youth mirrors the one my child is living in right now.
My job as his mother is to help him find and experience these beautiful moments. We don’t need a vacation to do it because there is beauty in life surrounding us all. My son and his Rhino made my own view of the world shine brighter than yesterday. It’s days like this that I am truly happy as a mother to two amazing children and I will pin this in my own memory and try never to forget the little things in life that make it worth living.
Today was more than just a trip to Animal Kingdom. It was more than roller coasters and funnel cakes and souvenirs. I had one important mission to make happen today no matter what else we had planned. It was my mission as the mother of a child with a beautiful heart. My goal was to help him create an unforgettable experience that is meaningful and deeply personal to him. This moment was only for him and no one else would really understand or appreciate its significance except him and his mother. My mission was very important to both of us and the true beauty in its significance was the simplicity. I brought Cody to Animal Kingdom for the sole purpose of seeing a real life Rhino. Everything else always came second to this one simple moment.
Let me paint you a picture of innocence, love and joy. Most kids love dogs or cats but my son loves rhinos. It started before he was even born. I bought a 10 dollar stuffed rhino from Target for my unborn son a few months before his birth. I had an animal theme in his nursery and the rhino made a good addition to the decor. He looked good next to the stuffed giraffe and the lion. He wasn’t pretty at all, had a drab grey color and was really nothing special in any way. But he was an exotic enough animal enough to keep up with my theme. I never saw him as anything more than an accent in my decoration.
Rhino started out as a nursery decoration but then my baby took full ownership and made him his own. First he made the rhino a pacifier. He discovered he liked the velvet texture of the tail and would self soothe by rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. As he grew he kept him real close and carried him around, babbled to him like he was real, and never failed to take him to bed at night. Rhino was an attachment of him and he was the happiest when Rhino by his side. It didn’t matter to him that Rhino wasn’t cute or especially cuddly or was usually filthy. His tail eventually got worn down and his body went flat. He had uneven stitches to close up holes. But none of that mattered because he was never just a toy or stuffed animal. Rhino was and still is deeply treasured, highly valued, and unconditionally loved by my son. Rhino is his best friend. His significance in my son’s life makes him irreplaceable and if he were lost I would do anything in my power to find him.
Today’s mission was for Cody to see a real life Rhino and it was a success. He was treated to several resting Rhinos both black and white. It may sound simple and even common place to see a zoo animal. But I was mesmerized when a blissfully pure smile of innocence, joy and delight crossed the face of my child as he saw his own Rhino come to life with his own eyes. I felt the amazement and the wonder and the curiosity flow from him like a strong source of organic energy. This was the moment I was hoping for. This was the moment that made my trip perfect and real. This moment was captured by us both and a memory created that can never be forgotten.
It’s not the time off from work, or the fancy hotel, rich food, or theme park attractions that make this vacation memorable. It’s moments when I watch my child experience the beauty of life and translates it to a feeling that helps him better understand the world and how he fits into it. It’s moments like this when my own wonder and curiosity is recaptured and my youth mirrors the one my child is living in right now.
My job as his mother is to help him find and experience these beautiful moments. We don’t need a vacation to do it because there is beauty in life surrounding us all. My son and his Rhino made my own view of the world shine brighter than yesterday. It’s days like this that I am truly happy as a mother to two amazing children and I will pin this in my own memory and try never to forget the little things in life that make it worth living.
STARLIGHT POETRY BY KAI
View Me on Twitter @kairosoflife
See Creativity Chaos - a Creativity Blog by Kai
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© 2019-2020 Copyright Starlight Poetry
VIEW FULL SITE DIRECTORY
View Me on Twitter @kairosoflife
See Creativity Chaos - a Creativity Blog by Kai
About | Reprints & Copyrights | Home
© 2019-2020 Copyright Starlight Poetry
VIEW FULL SITE DIRECTORY