Things to Do Before I Die

Perhaps it’s not a normal trait
To keep upon my mental slate
A list of special things that I
Aspire to do before I die,
Like the list I have within;
Yet, recorded there I see:
    "Surf the waves at Wakiki;
    Raft the Colorado’s flow;
    See the Northern Lights aglow;
    And . . . . hear your voice again."

Some things I’ve done and crossed them through,
But these accomplishments are few,
And some I’ll never do, I know—
The last one was so long ago
That I can’t remember when:
    "Fish for tarpon in the Keys;
    Take a cruise on tropic seas;
    Feel an aviator’s thrill;
    Go skiing down an Alpine hill;
    And . . . . see your face again."

Some things included there I find
Are foolish fancies of my mind,
But still I keep them on the slate,
For wildest dreams through quirks of fate
Happen every now and then:
    "Scale the heights of Everest;
    Find a buried treasure chest; 
    Write a book;
    Compose a tune;
    Fly a rocket to the moon,
And . . . . call you mine again."
                                ©1975 J. G. Braddock Sr.