Buddy

I look at you now,

the years passing before my eyes,

I feel the changes taking place,

in my body and my mind;

only yesterday you were a little boy,

eating hotcakes and sausage at McDonalds,

watching Sponge Bob and Rugrats,

screaming “yeckkk!!!” and

throwing the night crawlers into the lake,

the first time I took you fishing;

now you are a man,

no longer the wide-eyed little boy holding my hand,

as we walked the boardwalk,

begging to play mini-golf or skee ball,

at every putt-putt or arcade we passed;

“please Pa!”

“please Pa!”

a tiny bundle of energy,

never slowing down,

exasperating yet so endearing

at the same time;

I remember towing you around the pool by my beard,

both of us laughing so hard I thought my side would burst,

playing whiffle ball for hours on end,

always ready for a new adventure,

whenever I could find the time,

of which there never seemed to be enough;

now you own a home and work on diesel engines,

with a busy schedule and little time,

which is the way it should be,

as natural as the setting sun,

but no matter where you go,

or what this life has in store for you,

always remember one thing;

I love you buddy,

more than you can ever know.

.

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