Theodora (Theo) Onken (Washington State)

I remember a shirtless child
And shredded jeans
A pony tail as long as forever
And Mexican Jumping Beans

Newspapers wadded and blowing
Into direction's where we did not play
Headlines that were blown in the wind
Across the vast expanse of yesterday

I remember The Tag and The Hide And Seek
Even in puddles and puddles of rain
Seattle gave us little choice back then
Entertainment could be a drenching pain

The apple tree and my swing
Skinned knees and all the happy grins
Mom's cherry pie and occasional blue sky
And the yesterdays of you and i

Gathering my reflections into a bottle
I fold the pages all neatly and square
Toss the bottle into Puget Sound
With my Mother's ashes
And pray for safe destination into the somewhere

The somewhere will come to know all of my life
From infancy to older age
And garner the pieces of joy and love
On page after truth filled page

They will know of my happy hours and of my despair
Moments when i would break down and cry
They will even know when i sent the bottle
For it will be dated -the day before i die

Dedicated To: My Family