Kimbo

Kimbo.....
It's your birthday!
You recall past ones
with Pee Wee and Philip and Roger and Murray
jumping out from behind a couch
Parties
Birthday cakes...
Remember the cake when you hit 18?
A big X over a motorcycle
And a car beside it
You could drive that
Finally
But I recall way back vividly
First I asked God for you
A prayer
in short and
in my request book.
Then there was the crib
A boy? A girl?
Which would it be?
The crib was in both pink and blue
Ready and waiting.
The first time I saw you
In a nurses arms
I'll never forget that look on your little face
A boredom look!
Later when I went for a walk
I felt like announcing!
Didn't everybody know I had
a baby boy?
You were the J.C.C. sweetheart
At evening time when Dad
rounded a certain corner
on his way home from
J.C.C.
He'd call
"Kimbo, Kimbo, Kimbo"
You'd tumble around
on the floor
Once a typhoon came
You and I were
alone
J.C.C. kids came over
One took you on her back
We went to
safer quarters.
Bobby joined you
Quite a pair
Once he came into the house
with a neat cut-out of his shorts
He'd been Saul
You David
School by bus was fun
To Washington Heights
Then C.A.J.
Remember you played
a cripple boy
in a play
Your "cane" is in the attic today!
Always adventuresome
in the middle of Japanese
student rebellions
Compassionate always
to people--
making me visit that hurt girl
and bringing that inebriated man home
for the night!
and the little dog you found on a
rainy day
along the road
Remember when you
and Roger & Murray went
to the ofuro?
You hitchhiked
Later he searched out our home
to bring back a sock you forgot
and a box of mikans!
That ship trip was exciting
as a High School Junior
You made beds all the way
to America
and back to Japan by
World-Airways
We picked you up
in the middle of the night
at Yokota
Jimmy and Markie
were growing
Four boys
As a senior you took Markie
on your cycle to school.
He was a lst grader
He felt your hand on his knee
as you prayed for safety
College was exciting
Student offices
work with Japanese
New friends
Trips back to Japan
Once we heard noises downstairs
We called the police
It was you...home to surprise us
When they came we were all laughing!
You graduated with a double major
But the best is ahead.
Keep faith in God and people
May He use you greatly.