Your birthday present is on its way 

I was gonna send you a poem but didn’t know what to say 

But, my old friend, I think about you often

I don’t like to share my poems because I’m afraid of people scoffing

I’ve experienced a lot of that since adulthood, how about you?

When we were teens, I wouldn’t have believed it was true 

Are others afraid of young success?
Or of beauty or talent?
It’s the truth, I guess

Back in the day do you think we were ever a threat to the “real” surfer girls?

Remember we’d spend hours on our hair before the beach, just to make it twirl?

I miss floating on our surfboards in the Atlantic

Talking about music, school, and the Lord 

We were late bloomers

Never tied to boys or computers 

Our dreams were gigantic 

I hope you’re living yours

We both stuck to the coast 

But you went down south – Cape Coral

And I wonder all the time, now, how many guys have kissed your mouth?

Are you disappointed in how things turned out?

Our teenage years were not immortal 

We could never really surf the waves 

But we could recite the Bible for days 

Do you think we’ll ever crack the code of what it all means?

On your birthday, I hope you remember your dreams 

Maybe – on this pretty day in mid-May I can start walking the shore on Virginia’s beach 

And you can start waking north on yours

Eventually maybe we’ll be in arms reach of each other 

I don’t mind holding a surfboard under my arm

Bring your Golden retriever 

I’ll bring mine

And bring the hair spray 

Adulthood can still have charm

See you halfway 

And maybe by the end of May

We can go over all those Bible verses 

Who says the present day is worse?