Very Far Away...

You made me afraid of vampires, long before Edward or Bella came along.

I sat in my mother's closet, listening to Kathy exclaim boldly how she wanted to be Mrs. Dracula, and I shivered.

Then you led me out of the closet into a moonlit room, and broke my heart as the lead soldier died in the frozen snow, and then mended it in the same breath when a little boy's love brought him back to life.

You took my hand and helped me out the window, onto the roof where a horse was waiting. You lifted me onto him and he took us to the sea, the moon shining brightly as she followed us, past the busy night kitchen, and to a boat waiting for us, and took us very far away, where horses dream, and people are refined, and wild things play all day.

And you sang me a silly song as we went along about alligators and Indians, and told me about Johnny, who lived by himself, and liked it like that. I liked it too, except that I would like the cat to stay, and maybe she'd sing me a happy song about a kitten playing with his mother's tail, or, perhaps, a sad one about moonlight, and an empty tin can.

But you liked the little dog, and gave her everything, but she ran away anyway. There must be more to life than having everything...Maybe you didn't give her enough chicken soup with rice, or maybe she just didn't care.

But I care. You helped me care about all of them.

And I loved you for all of it. And, oh, how I still do. How beautiful you made everything.

So, I hope you are having a great time very far away, and maybe you can be the biggest firecracker in the whole world, or maybe king of all wild things.

Let the wild rumpus start, Maurice. And save me that extra room for a friend.