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I've known Eddie
For a long, long time,
He's been a good friend
He would share his last dime.

He has always loved sports
And has always been wild,
He has been that way
Since he was a child.

When we were eight
Eddie went to ballet school
Against his wishes,
So he acted the fool.

Once he forgot to use the bathroom
Before he donned his sweats,
I rolled on the floor laughing
When he did some pirouwets.

We were about ten
When Eddie thought he coud fly,
I thought he could too
So he gave it a try.

When he went straight down
We were amazed,
He was bruised a little
But mainly just dazed.

At fourteen years old
Eddie climbed an electrical tower,
He was lucky to survive
Three counties lost power.

As a football lineman
Eddie tried not to yield,
But had more time on a stretcher
Than he had on the field.

Locally Eddie was noted
For a baseball game,
But a baseball to the head
Was unwanted acclaim.

One hot summer
At our county fair,
Eddie streaked the midway
He was totally bare.

He ran from the sheriff
Like his tail was on fire,
And he was winning
'til he hit the barbwire.

When we went to the mountains
To play in the snow,
It put his life in jeopardy
Little did we know.

He went into a tuck
As he skied down the slope,
When he lost control,
Lost without hope.

He did some cartwheels
That were hard to believe,
And somehow he jammed
A ski up his sleave.

He then spread-eagled a tree
In his very same plane,
He was three months in traction
And more in pain.

Eddie vowed no more snow,
No more snow for him,
But he would live life to the fullest
Right up to the brim.

We next went to the river
To ski on the water,
A snap he thought
If he kept the rope taughter.

It was a snap allright
But the snap was his leg,
The Doctor had to fit it
With a metal peg.

Eddie then decided
He would stay at home,
Where he tripped on his dog
And careened on his dome.

But those years are behind him,
His years of disgrace,
And you should see the padding
He installed in his place.
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07/15/2002

Posted on 07/15/2002
Copyright © 2024 Charles E Minshall