Vessel

A baby is a vessel
And each caretaker proceeds
To slowly fill him up with what
That person thinks he needs.

So while some will teach him numbers,
Colors and the ABC’s,
Others may tap into music
Or identifying trees.

There’ll be teachers for the extras –
Tennis, swimming, Tae Kwon Do
And instructors in the schools
Dispensing what he needs to know.

But the ones who are the closest
Fill that vessel with what counts
And the lessons that are learned,
Of course, in varying amounts

Are the values that will be absorbed
For perpetuity
As each drip into that vessel
Forms the person he will be.