The letter "L"

L: is for little things.
 And here's a secret: if I am ever considered by my friends, family or peers, to be any kind of poet or writer of any kind, I owe a great deal of my creative ability and joy in wordsmithing to the late Joe Raposo.

He wrote songs for Sesame Street. While the video segments for these songs introduced my tiny little mind to scenes from Manhattan, from zoos, from the living rooms and restaurants of families that couldn't have been more different from mine... while the video segments did all that, the simple lyrics from the gentle genius of Mr. Raposo guided my thoughts across not only some of the most important human experiences, but he did so with poetry and grace; the likes of which children's music has been quietly lacking since his untimely passing.

 Mr. Raposo, I'm 36 years old now. You've helped feed my soul and you contributed to the colorful and creative life I'm living. Your music still haunts me and guides me through the most difficult of grownup experiences. I never knew you or met you or knew what you looked like or even knew your name until about eight years ago. But my world is so much richer for having heard your words.

 Thank you. Forever.
 So now, I give you the lyrics to one of my most cherished songs in all of music in all of the universe in all of time. I encourage you to hit up a link or three that plays the original classic Sesame Street version. It breaks my heart damned near every time. In the good way, though. ---

I believe in little things
 by Joe Raposo

 I believe in little things
That you can hardly see
Like honeycombs and spider webs
And starfish in the sea

 I believe in little things
Like icy drops of rain
That melt into the morning mist
When winds are warm again
 I believe in little things
Like colors in the sky
And noticing the waves roll in
And how the flowers die

 Knowing they’ll be back again
Whenever it’s July
 I believe in little things
Like you and me
And just how big Little things can be