This is to you
This is to you,
you know who you are
Christopher Michael,
now where do I start?
You’ve written a lotta rhymes
over the years
They talked about all the pain,
struggles and tears.
You talked about the abuse, misuse
and even being locked in our rooms.
And also about how our childhood
ended too soon
Most focused on the negative,
you often saw only bad
So now let’s take a moment to reflect
on all the good times we had
We had jokes,
inside and out
That only we would get
and laugh about
Even now,
there are still those things
But I’m the only one laughing,
and that kind of stings
Anyway, enough about that,
let’s get on with our list
And talk about all the things
that made us Terry and Chris
My memories start in Centralia,
with Latona and “B” street
And of all the friends we had
and would meet
Scotty, Howie,
even the Wards
I remember the river, and train tracks
and sticks used as swords
Then on to Chehalis,
a new place, a new school
Dad lived down the street for a while,
and that was cool
We’d see him on the weekend
for church and action flicks
Then we’d act them out,
complete with all the punches and kicks
Then other things about Chehalis
that were never wrong
I’ll just go through a few
so the list doesn’t get too long
There was pepper,
our first and only dog
And the stump
that looked like a frog
There were hills to climb
and adventures to be had
John was there,
but it wasn’t all bad
We had “Rummy”, “Sorry”
and zombie wombat
And let’s not forget
about Tigger the cat
Then in Salem, at Grandma’s;
the dirt hole was the spot
Or the woods at the Wright’s;
or even the Rainier lot
We’d play with our toys,
each one with its own backstory
Or later, video games, and Tactics
and all of its glory
Even in the worst of times
and in the darkest places
We still had things
that would bring smiles to our faces
There were youth camps;
Tapawingo, Bethel, even Metzler Park
Lots of fun in the day
and your talking kept us up after dark
And there was the summer
when you first began to rhyme
You met a girl who stole your heart
and filled your mind
She was all you’d think and write about
at that time
Then, as always, things changed
and time went on
Even still,
we were singing the same song
Each time together
was like we had never been apart
We’d pick up where we left off
never having an awkward start
Everything that happened
brought a reference from a TV show
Usually Simpsons, or Friends;
something only you would know
Then there were movies,
with quotes we’d both share
“’So you’re nobody.’ ‘Shhh! Don’t tell anyone.’”
Was always in there
“You’re not a gnat, are you bug?”
or “How you doin’?”
Were a couple
that we often threw in
And “These are pretty good cigarettes”
was often used in fun
This came from a movie
you placed at number one
So many times and memories.
So many things I wish you could see
At least I know you are in peace,
so I’ll rest at ease
And know we’ll meet again
in heaven one day
But to hold us over until then,
I will say
This is to you,
you know who you are
Christopher Michael,
You’ll always be in my heart.
