End of Summer

Poem by Tom

Summer is like that double thick chocolate malt you waited for.

The first few sips, when all the flavor hits your dry taste buds
and the sugar sends signals of pleasure coursing through your body
like the diluted drug it is,

are the first warm days of spring. You know what is coming and it is only getting better.

BY THE FOURTH OF JULY ALL THE WHIPPED CREAM IS GONE AND YOU FEEL SATISFIED.

As the hot August days drag on you wonder why you ordered a double.
You wonder if it would be better to stop now so you don’t get fat, or whether you should finish what you started
-- there are starving children in Africa -- and who knows when it might start raining.

You vow that next time you will order a small – without whipped cream.

And then in September, something strange happens. As you realize as you are down to the last syrupy dregs, the shake you were so tired of only weeks ago starts to taste … better.

And as the mornings start to feel crisp and you pick the last apples
and feel the heavy dew soak through your shoes,
you begin to savor each ray of sunshine
and hope to bask in just one more warm day at the beach
before summer is all slurped up.

One small step for Tim...

Conversation with Tim 9/7/08

Tim: Dad, when I'm just starting my career I'll need some money, so I think I'll go into advertising.

Dad: OK

Tim: Dad, What is the most endangered species?

Dad: The blue whale

Tim: If I could just get a small blood sample we could use cloning technology to prevent extinction

Dad: Are you switching to cloning? What about your other goals?

Tim: You mean the energy project? Well, cloning probably requires a lot of energy... hey I know! First I will solve the nuclear power problem and then I will be very famous and I can probably get a lot of sponsors for my cloning project.

Dad: What about after that? A lot of people think the ultimate project would be colonizing outer space, starting with the moon.

Tim: Yeah, I am going to need a lot of sponsors for a project of that size.

Dad: There is also great potential in geothermal power.

Tim: Yeah, and if you could figure out a way to get to the exact center of the earth, you would feel no gravity. I have aleady started working on a plan for that ... [pause] Dad, I have to go to the bathroom. But I WILL solve the world's power crisis. First I'll save humanity and then I'll save nature.