Before There Was A Poem

CATEGORY

life

before I knew of pad and pen for poetry
I ran to you again and again
a gift given to me upon my birth
my first day on earth
you were by my side
and it was you 
I fought to protect
and tried time and again to hide
once finding you in the trash can
the day before the trash man came
before I knew what a BFF was
It was you
and Timmy
was your name

The time came for the bad tonsils
removed from my little throat
mother made sure I was nice and warm
with my fuzzy hat and winter coat
but the first tantrum I every displayed
when she came and told me it was time to go
it was not her hand I held
you 
in all your blessed fuzziness
were closely in tow

mother was a nurse in the ER room
knew and worked with the doctor in charge
performed thousands of tonsillectomies
little ones and large
but this was a first for him
a man so professionally renown
I watched as the nurses prepped Timmy
in the tiniest ER mask and blue gown
and was the first thing I looked for
when I awoke from my medically induced dream
he was sitting beside me
watching
as I slowly swallowed chocolate ice cream

before I knew to put poetry to pad and pen
I confided always to Timmy
sewing up his worn patches
time and time again
cutting up old socks
stuffing them inside of him
where I found soft or empty spaces
your safety was important to me
and I never took you to outside places
hiding you in crevasses where you would be hard to find
you were my confidant
my youthful peace of mind
and it is all these years past that I still remember you
not remembering what was your final fate
I knew you were beside me on my birthday
when I turned the age of eight
receiving looks of distain and anguish
at the dinner table where I would dine
but I don't remember having you with me
the day I turned the age of nine
small toes dipped into the pool of life  
I had to learn to swim
before there was pad and pen for poetry
Timmy was my best friend
a simple teddy bear to you
but everything to me
and I don't remember whatever happened to him