July 31, 1981
In those places where the carpet can't reach
And he shimmies to the soft, smooth spots
Snuggles up with his shoulders
And pushes his face right in
Until all we can see is a thin tuft of hair
Interrupted by a small, purple birthmark
And the thump, thump, thumps
Of two small legs
Ready to go
He stands
And wobbles
Right to left...left to right
Then takes one, long step
To where
The floor sinks two feet lower.
Adam has always loved to joke around. By age 4, he was entertaining our next door neighbor Helen (Mr. Wilson to his Dennis the Menace) dressing up in a suit and tie and doing "stand up comedian" acts. The punch lines didn't make sense at the time, but he was only 4.
The youngest of 3 brothers, he never quite got the knack for staying out of trouble. For example, once when the boys were confined to their bedroom by the babysitter, he landed in a rose bush when the boys were sneaking out the bedroom window.
Adam was the only brother to play soccer. Involved in a local youth soccer league for three playing seasons, Adam played every position at one time or another. His father and I learned to be soccer parents, carrying umbrellas, folding chairs and water bottles to cover all contingencies.
Currently, Adam is the family musician. He composes electronic music and plays several instruments. He even creates his own "samples" to use in his electronic music. He plans to set up samples on a web site to market his talents in the near future.
This fall, he enrolled at Lansing Community College - and is still thinking about his course of study.
