by Raymond "Beppo" Paretzky.
My story starts sixteen long years ago,
Before the internet was widely spread;
Back when one couldn’t Tivo fav’rite shows,
And when I had more hair atop my head.
And dinosaurs were feared where’er they tread;
OK, perhaps not back so far as that…
‘Twas sixteen years ago, as I have said,
Eight pounds, eleven ounces, was the stat;
A boy was born to Karen, me, and Dish, our cat.
We named him Michael, after my late dad,
And David for his Great Aunt Dorothy;
He loved to smile, he was rarely sad,
Though at his bris he cried, quite sensibly.
At four months old, he met nanny Marie;
His fun with her he hoped would never stop,
The same for games with my mom Cicely.
And Tina too, and Don, his mama’s pop,
Who’d proudly show him round his wine and liquor shop.
A key event of note in his short life
Was when his brother Josh did join our brood.
They play together free from woe or strife,
If both of them are in a decent mood.
They usually behave, they’re never rude,
They show what joy it is to be alive;
And though they may at times give attitude,
And spirits high may take a sudden dive,
If four o’clock they frown, they’ll be all smiles by five.
Their fervent love of sports makes them excel,
They play them all with vigor and true zeal;
In shorts, of course, who cares it’s cold as hell,
They’ll shoot those hoops ‘til they’re too numb to feel.
On soccer field, J’ll pass with toe or heel,
Or block the shots when he’s the man in goal.
And M, of course, will hit and catch and steal,
So now Posada’s given up his role,
The Yankees know that P’retzky soon will fill the hole.
They study English, Hebrew, science, math,
Long days of toil at school, called JDS;
Nor do their grades at school incur our wrath,
Since horseplay’s not their only great success,
They handle all that comes with pure finesse.
And so concludes my epic tale of praise,
Perhaps I’ve bragged a bit, I admit, yes;
But they’ve enriched my life in all these ways,
And poem topics don’t come easily these days!