We had our friend Laura read a slightly modified version of Locating Crickets by Joel Chmara. It's on the silly side, and fit us perfectly:
When you came into my life,
you started to use words like forever.
That's a mighty long time.
So I want you to meet the rest of me,
the lost episodes of my life.
The b-sides
The bee stings
The white lies
The dusty skeletons that complete my
Fill in the blank life.
1. I always had a thumb print on my skull.
It happened when the soft spot of my head
had not yet developed
and my uncle was depressed
that he had never left his mark.
2. I didn't walk until I was 3,
but only because I was reeeeeeeeeally lazy.
3. My father has always been a riot
and my mother...teargas.
They make wonderful chaos together.
4. I once attempted to access a parallel universe
by drawing a triangle on the ground,
then entering it while wearing Bermuda shorts.
5. I ran away from home when I was 12
simply so I could label myself.
6. I returned home hours later
so I could say that I accomplished something.
7. I wore short shorts.
8. Throughout my school years, I was very driven.
This was mostly because I didn't have my own car.
9. I have been in love exactly one other time.
I didn't love him the way the desert misses the rain.
I loved him the way the rain embraces acid.
10. Now that I am in love with YOU
it is necessary for me to create a word that means more than
love
so I can accurately express myself.
I have come up with SPLEET.
11. Sometimes I wish that I could stare at you
against the backdrop of an eclipse...
so that when I go blind,
yr image burns into my mind
and I can carry it with me wherever I go.
12. I hate lists.
So take my hand,
and I will SPLEET you
as long as humanly possible.
