Mattie J. T. Stepanek

A friend copied this poem in a letter she wrote to me when I was 14. I have remembered it through the years and found the words today. Believe it or not this poem was written when Mattie was only 5 years old. To read more of this extraordinary boy and more of his inspirational words visit his site.

For Mr. Thompson

"The people who like poetry are special.
They are the same people who hear
Lullabies and wind chimes
When the birds are noisy together.
They are the ones who see
Star-gifts in every season-
Tree-stars in the fall,
Snow-stars in the winter,
Dandelion-fairy-stars in the spring, and
Lightning-bug-stars in the summer.
They are the ones who have
Favorite colors that are wonderful gifts
Like sunset or rainbow or treasure.
They are the ones who have
Songs in their hearts and
Words in their minds that
Come together and slip out
Into the air or onto paper as a gift
To someone else, or even themselves.
The people who like poetry are probably
The ones who really like life,
And who know how to celebrate
Even when things are sad or happy.
We remember that sometimes,
Even if we don’t understand why,
That the rain falls for a reason.
We remember how important it is
To play after a storm, just because
We need to keep playing and living.
And, we are the people who remember
To say thank you to God for our gifts."

-Mattie J.T. Stepanek May 1996