it is time to do my bucket list
bullet points of the things
i should have, could have, would have done
the fun i should have before
the sun sets on me
so i sat
chewed on my pencil
pondered like a kindergarten kid doing subtraction
and the actions i placed on my list were
two

i want to watch my son grow up
and my wife grow old

i don’t want to sky dive
or walk on the great wall of china
i don’t want to write the great american novel
or sail around the world

i want to watch my son grow up
and my wife grow old

instead of waiting to pull the cord
and my chute to open
and float to the ground
i want to be the chute when my son falls
or when life has overwhelmed my wife

instead of standing on the great wall of china
i want to stand and watch my son
pick the grass in an outfield while his coach tries to get his attention
i want to sit and watch old detective shows with my wife

i wouldn’t mind writing the great american novel
but helping my son learn to write
a b c
means more to me, and him, than any fiction i can dream up

instead of sailing around the world
with the wind in my hair
i want to be there
for whatever growing up with my son
and growing old with my wife
means
i want to be there

run a marathon?!
life is a marathon, and all those things i could put on my list
are all about me
but i am not just a collection of events and things
what triumph will i be most proud of
climbing kilamanjaro
or rising up to raise my son
to teach him love
kneeling down to help my elderly wife tie her shoes
when she can’t
to show her love

i want to watch my son grow up
and my wife grow old

keep your dream ski trip
that shark tank submersion
have 101 things on that list
the trappings of extroversion

i want to teach my son
to be a good man
i want to be a good man
for my wife

my bucket list is short
but don’t mistake it for small
though it is a quick read
that order is still tall

i want to watch my son grow up
and watch my wife grow old