In Memory of

Aaron Bradbury

August 23, 1987 - July 14, 2004

“Loved by Summer “

I arose to life,
with a sun that gave birth to a new day
and painted color back
on what the night had taken.
The air's warm hands,
while gently massaging the world,
would coax me out of my slumber
no matter how deep I was in dream.
Then it was off and into the day.

Swinging up to meet the sky
as if we were eagles, then
back towards earth while we were
swooping down to attack our prey,
nothing less than the time before us.
Marching out to our concrete imaginations
that had spilled through our minds, down our arms,
through our hands and then...
we would splash more chalky color from our thoughts
onto the rocky canvas so that it could be viewed
by a few of the lucky spectators in the
museum of outside world.
The harshest critic was the rain
who constantly smeared and destroyed
our creative works of art.
But that never stopped us.
Out through the jungle of land behind the yards,
dodging danger at every step, just so that we could escape
the burning grip of our parent's democracy into freedom.
Once we found our freedom we would not
venture any farther than through speech and thoughts.
No one ever knew what lurked anywhere further than freedom.
I doubt anyone wanted to know, for we were happy enough.
Sometimes we would travel away to a summer home
of freedom and swimming, diving off the wharf into a lake
of memories to the depths of our souls.
No one knew what we were creating since
we thought this would last forever,
like the wind that so gently swung the hammock
filled with friendship. Then into the darkness,
running around with artificial daylight trying to
frighten and find each other in a single, intense moment.
Up in the tree house
with as many conversations as stars above
until the moon danced center stage
and we ran home
to the only place
our dreams would be our own.

I look at the summer sun,
sky and moon now to find nothing....
but the same sun, moon and sky that loved us so then.
Aaron/2003

Always loved, remembered and cherished
…Dad, Mom, Jake and Hannah.