I am profoundly delighted
For you to become enlightened
It’s neither you nor me
It’s the wit to set free

The chirps of birds hopping over my morning window
Jealousy retreats to sway, to glow
Kangaroos hop around
Nothing’s in bound

Kayla, that’s how tulips grow
I can see it clearly in your brow, you never go low
Simile smiles at the girls in the bus
In the showers, a girl and an umbrella will be at no fuss

Oh, it rains already in today’s dusk
And a man with a guitar jumps into the bus to comply his task
Yet, I am so enticed
By the dance fragments that you diced

Kayla, it’s your first call to address yourself to us all
We know that one day we will dance in a ball
For Kayla, for you, for me
To the horizon, roaming wild and foresee

P.S. This poem is for my daughter, Rachela. Kayla (and several other words, i.e. Laela, Yaela) have been used recently to address herself. I wouldn’t expect her to acquire multiple syllables or consonant /r/ at this early stage as Indonesian children will acquire this at later age, i.e. 4 or even 5 years old (Dardjowidjojo, 2000; Santosa, 2006). However, she could do so if she is exposed to language(s) that utilize /r/ at early age (either at the front, middle, or end of words), such as English. Thank you for reading 🙂