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American Morning
Child Poet Discusses Work
Aired February 06, 2002 - 08:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: You are about to meet a remarkable young man. Eleven-year-old Mattie Stepanek has a rare form of muscular dystrophy and a very rare gift. Despite his lifelong battle, he has written two best-selling books of poetry. He has lost three siblings the to the same disease, and not long ago, Mattie himself was thought to be near death, but Mattie carries on, inspiring others with his words, poems of prayer, hope, and healing.
Mattie joins me now.
So great to see you.
MATTIE STEPANEK, 11-YEAR-OLD POET: Nice to see you too.
ZAHN: Congratulations.
STEPANEK: Thank you so much. I'm so excited. Not only about the book, but also I've been bouncing up and down all morning. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
ZAHN: Well, we are so excited you could join us this morning, and so proud of the fact that your poetry has landed you on the best- seller list of "The New York Times."
STEPANEK: Thank you.
ZAHN: I would like for you to read for us this morning a couple of poems you've written, to give our audience an idea of what you think about and what you're feeling. Could you start off reading "A Prayer for a Journey." You write about everything: You write about God, you write about teddy bears and sunsets. Let's start with this one.
STEPANEK: "Prayer for a journey": "Thank you, God, not just for life, but for our journey through life. Life is a miracle. And a journey through life is so full of so many more miracles. If we travel without the songs. Thank you, God, for blessing me with the gift of heartsongs, so that I can enjoy miracles."
ZAHN: That is so beautiful.
STEPANEK: Thank you.
ZAHN: How old were you when you discovered you had so many heartsongs?
STEPANEK: Well, when I started writing, I was very small. I was 3 years old, and I didn't even know it was poetry. I would go up to my mom and say, Mom can you type this up, and she said sure. So I started saying this poetry, and she told me, hey, it's poetry. So I thought, wow, this is a gift. I can share it with others, to help them understand the same feelings.
ZAHN: Does a poem come to mind every day?
STEPANEK: Yes. I see a sunset. I get excited over something. Every thing is beautiful, and I notice every little thing about everything.
ZAHN: You mentioned sunset, and I put a marker in here because it was one of my favorite poems in the book. I'd love for you to read it. Actually, there's another I have marked here. I think this is a little easier. I think this might give people an idea of how you're inspired about everything you see.
STEPANEK: Thank you.
"Sunset: "Beautiful things are everywhere, but the sunset is so soothing and peaceful it can send you into dreamland filled with happy thoughts. And it's all just because the sunset is God's special tiger eye. A tiger's eye is sometimes dark and stormy, sometimes bright with colors. A tiger's eye is strong in seeing and knowing, and it is always a symbol of life and energy. So when you see the sunset, through storms and brights, think of God, our great "I am," and his beautiful tiger's eye.
ZAHN: Wow. That is just beautiful.
STEPANEK: Thank you.
ZAHN: A lot of people looking at your situation find it probably difficult to understand just how inspired you are to go on. You lost three of your siblings to this rare disease. You yourself got very, very sick very recently. What do you do to stay so positive?
STEPANEK: Well, it's important to stay on the bright side. Always see your glass half full. If you see it half empty, it might as well be empty all the way.
I have a few things that help me get through each day emotionally. One is my writing. It's not only a gift that I have, it's my way of venting my feelings and expressing them: happy, sad, angry, scared, excited. Another thing is my mom and my friends, which I call my kin. And most of all, my God. I have great faith in God. I feel he will always be with me, and he's helped me through so much.
ZAHN: And you also feel that God has chosen you.
STEPANEK: Yes.
ZAHN: Don't you? For a special mission. What do you think that mission might be, other than writing this magnificent poetry that's touched so many of our hearts?
STEPANEK: I think it's to share it with the world, to help them understand their heartsong. We can't force our heartsong on others. When we find ours, everyone's is different and beautiful. They don't need to be the same. And when we teach about heartsongs, it doesn't mean saying your heartsong has to be the same as ours; it's saying your heartsong is beautiful, but we can help you find yours better.
ZAHN: You have so much wisdom for such a young guy, and I know your mom sometimes describes you as a 52-year-old boy. What does that mean to you? Do you understand that you have this special gift to see things that perhaps even grown-ups can't see?
STEPANEK: Yes. And I'm very proud of it. Another one of my goals is to be a father and to live till I'm 101 or more.
ZAHN: I think at least until 120 would be great.
Before we let you know, I know that your mother has a favorite poem, and I think we marked this in here. And it is called "A New Hope." Would you mind reading that for us?
STEPANEK: Not at all.
ZAHN: Thanks, Mattie.
STEPANEK: "A New Hope": "I need a hope: a new hope. A hope that reaches for the stars and that does not end violence or war. A hope that makes peace on our earth, and that does not create evil in the world. A hope that finds cures for all diseases and that does not make people hurt in their bodies, in their hearts, or most of all, in their spirits. I need a hope, a new hope. A hope that inspires me to live and to make all these things happen so that the whole world can have a new hope too.
Your poetry is so powerful.
STEPANEK: Thank you.
STEPANEK: You've stretched us. You've inspired us. What are you going to do next, for follow-up? You already have two best sellers. What's next on the docket?
STEPANEK: I keep writing and keep inspiring peace. I've got another book, "Hope Through Heartsongs," coming out April 3. And I just want to continue the same goals: keep in touch with Oprah, keep in touch with my hero, Jimmy Carter, and keep writing poetry and inspiring peace.
ZAHN: So you just said that pretty nonchalantly: Oprah is a friend of yours now, and the former president is a friend of yours. In fact, he wrote a beautiful comment about your work in the jacket of your book.
STEPANEK: They have beautiful hearts. They really do.
ZAHN: Well, Mattie Stepanek, you do as well. Thank you for sharing your heart with us this morning.
STEPANEK: Thank you.
ZAHN: Boy, you've taught us all a lot.
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