lirazel | (no subject)

My aunt keeps texting me asking me to contribute to a thing she's doing for one of my cousin's birthdays. The cousin is turning 40 and my aunt is putting together a collection of letters from people in her life--she's essentially asking for us to, like, write about a significant memory involving the cousin or a way she's made a difference in my life. Fine.

The only problem is...I do not know this cousin well enough to write ANYTHING. I have no meaningful memories with her. She's a kind enough person, I don't dislike her, I just don't know her. But I don't want to say no to this request.

Anyway, the only way out of this I can think of is to just share a poem. But I am having trouble finding a poem that will suit. Something about life or friendship or the passage of life or aging (but not too much about aging because she's not old) or something, but it can't offend fairly conservative Christian sensibilities and it has to be accessible to someone who doesn't read much (any? I don't know her, so I don't know!) poetry. Maybe something Mary Oliver-esque, only it would be A++++ if it mentioned God in some way.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

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This is probably not what you're looking for, but I went poking around As You Like It (since Rosalind and Celia are cousins) and got:

Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything. (II.i.11-17)

(Unfortunately Celia and Rosalind are closer than you and your cousin.)

Also I searched "benediction" at Poetry Foundation and got this poem.

Lol!

You can count on Shakespeare for good cousin stuff!

I like that poem (I'm very taken with "love to nest in your side") but it's not quite what I'm looking for either.