Dear Michael Daniel Li,

 

Welcome to Michael Daniel's World

Henry (not the angel) just announced your coming

While I was busily preparing my project reports

 

Which is more important

To dutifully write the baby-bash poem

Or to continue with my report

This is the question

 

I am talking about priority in life here

I must not let go the impulse for quick wit

Starving my stomach for a while

Besides I owe your daddy this poem

Ever since he requested months ago

In a Xiangyin group baby shower

 

I like Michael Daniel

They were even connected one time

When and where

You ask

 

Michael is an old and popular name

The first Michael mentioned in Bible

Was the father of one of the twelve explorers

From the Tribe of Asher

There were many Michaels afterward

 

But the famous one is Michael the Archangel

Who fought and conquered

The evil spirits over the Persian Kingdom

After an eye-opening three weeks blockade

Clearing the way for another messenger

To brief Daniel the Prophet

 

My first words of wisdom

Be as tenacious

And courageous

And righteous

And helpful

As Michael the Archangel

 

Daniel the prophet was someone special

Definitely for you and all to emulate

Even as a handsome lad

He abstained from impurity

And set him apart for the Lord

The Lord honored him and his three buddies

 

Daniel was also a superb dream teller

He even disclosed the dream the King forgot

The other night my wife overheard my utterance

While I was deep in a sleep

She did not tell me precisely

What on earth I was revealing

Subconsciously in my dream

I surely hope it was words of wisdom

 

Daniel was a true worshipper of true God

Uncompromising and unapologetic

Unyielding to pressure and death threat

Even in a horrifying lion's den

The Lord closed the mouth of the lion

From inflicting any harm to Daniel

You will need lots of Daniel's faith

To walk uprightly in this sin-abounding world

 

Daniel was a prophet of divine message

Even when the message was dreadful to hear

He envisioned the end time

Of great knowledge

And of great mobility

Welcome to a world and age

That your predecessor had predicted

Over 2500 years before your birth

 

Daniel prophesied the mysterious Seventy Seven

And the critical divide before the last Seven

From the issuing of a decree to rebuild Jerusalem

To the coming and cutoff of the Anointed One

There shall be 69 times 7 prophetic years

 

Guess what

This has been fulfilled in history

In a mighty and fearful way

To our amazement of divinity

Despite many people's ignorance of it

Only to their own peril

 

My second words of wisdom

Be a bold messenger of divine will

Of the salvation accomplished

Of the final judgment to come

 

Michael Daniel

Live up to your namesakes

Michael the Archangel

Daniel the Prophet

In your days

To your generation

 

Would you?

Yes!

Yes!

Great!

 

(Composed on Aug.31, 2001)