Kick faster
Kick faster
Kick, Kick!
She woke up
In a cold sweat
It was that dream again
The one where
She was in the middle
Of the ocean
Kicking to keep afloat
All these years
Her mother would
Call someone with
A needle to make
Her forget one more time.
It was as if she did want
Me to remember anything
At all.
They had been a nice family
Once and her mother
Was not so crazy
Just not the normal
Sort of mother.
Two identical girls
And two boys
Then along came
Jimmy
With one more girlfirend
This one he married
In front of others
She was pregnant
And going to unseat
Our happy family
But Jimmy is not our
It was supposed to be
Prospective son in law
But my sister protested
So he came back with
A pregnant wife!
It all started
When they just wanted
To live and work
Around their own
Instead they kept
Being sent elsewhere
Around the world
They went on voyages
Often his work
As an architect
Sometimes on one of her
Magic journeys,,,
The Queen of England
Was visiting
Thailand this year
The year of 1972
She was going to be
Traveling throughout
The world
But would be in the South Asia
And so would they
Be in the same area
Of the world.
Just by coincidence
They had people
With boats
In fact they themselves
Were good boats people
It was one of theirs that
Was a missionary
Who caused all the trouble
He had survived
The war in France
And come to live
With our family
Since his family were gone
Not jewish refugee
John or Jean
Could have done anything
He went to school
In Paris
And was a very good
Baseball player
Instead he wandered
Into Yankee Stadium
One day when it was not
Playing a game
But hosting a group
Of religious nuts.
He signed up
To be a missionary
Putting aside his mitt.
But not his artists pencils
Then he got to see the world
For free.
All he had to do
Was get to all these places
On the other side
Of the pacific
Mostly by boat
He was good at his job
Had a small traveling
Companion
Who had to go home
To school
In Hawaii
He meet a beautiful
Young woman
Named Joan
Left behind was the one
While the other one
Went on her honeymoon
Serving Pacific Islanders
Until she revealed
She was pregnant
Now what was he to do?
A phone call was made.
The two could continue
As long as there was only one
Then the little one called
Said they would be in the area
Great!
Now he was going to be caught
The lifelong bachelor.
All her life
Mother just wanted
To have her way...
A trip through
The South pacific
Seemed like an ideal way
To release all those
Aches and pains
He had agreed to the trip
On the basis
That they were not going
To go over and introduce themselves
To anyone famous
Or royal!
She just nodded sweetly,
In the middle of the night
The boat capsized.
With all the children
On board
Now in the water
Including the newest
Baby Mary
Just born to the happy couple
My mother was a little put out
Over the arrival
Of a cousins child
Another baby was planned
For her to surprise
Her tiring husband
Who was old at 40
Just once he wanted
His wife to tell him
The truth about anything
Instead he was shoving
Her through the water
On a small dingy
While wondering where
The rest of the family
Were missing somewhere
In the Pacific ocean
His children
And a whole bunch
Of others including
At least one named
Frederick
Just a short trip
Nothing unusual
His parents
Would not find out
Until after
His rescue
Meanwhile
John and his wife Jean
Were desperate
To keep themselves
From drowning
Spread out across
The sea below
The Asian nations
Of Thailand
And Cambodia
All those countries
That her grandparents
Had traveled
Before the Great war
Had altered the way
Tourist or travelers
Were viewed by foreigners
She did not tell her husband
What she was going to do
If that girl got there first
Instead they had a lovely
Rescue along with
At least one child
And she insisted
They had to go to Thailand
Where the Queen was visiting
And her husband was unaware....
Meanwhile
Down below them
A few of the kids made it
To New Zealand
Along with others
Australia was where
Most of them
Were taken
As they were plucked
Out of the ocean
Too the dismay
Of Jimmy
Who had to be flown
To the boat
They had snuck off in
Just because
He had brought along
A present
A bomb he set off
On the boat
As he was sent back
He got back to California
Where he sat happy
She just kept kicking
In the water
Not knowing
Where anyone else was
Nor where she was
She thought she was alone
But found by some miracle
That many of the children
Were with her in the same
Drift of floating items
Each had grabbed on
And now she was steering
Them together towards
What she hoped was land
Sweating in the sea
Sweating in her dreams
She was the oldest
And responsible for the others
Tasmania
Is where they ended up
So far away from their target
But at least they were alive
Afterwards
Everyone had their own story
Except her who was not allowed
To know anything
Jimmy could not control
He just does not want her
To be alive
Makes her scream all the time
Must keep the others alive
Just keep kicking,
She lays back down
And drifts back into those years
When what every girl wants
Is to be in her daddies arms
A Korean war hero
Mattered little to her
He was just her daddy
And she was proud of it
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