today is the last day of the fifth moon, orbits of the heart, it seems so fitting to memorialize this 5th of the 13 moons with the 5th of my 13 painted ponies, the children’s prayer pony…

painted in the fall of 2001, with prayers of children of many faiths for all the chidren of the earth, this pony shares heartfelt messages of hope for seven generations…

No one knows the wonder

Your child awoke in you,

Your heart a perfect cradle

To hold its presence.

Inside and outside became one

As new waves of love

Kept surprising your soul.

Now you sit bereft

Inside a nightmare,

Your eyes numbed

By the sight of a grave

No parent should ever see.

You will wear this absence

Like a secret locket,

Always wondering why

Such a new soul

Was taken home so soon.

Let the silent tears flow

And when your eyes clear

Perhaps you will glimpse

How your eternal child

Has become the unseen angel

Who parents your heart

And persuades the moon

To send new gifts ashore.

~ John O’Donohue ~