Between the innocence of babyhood

and the dignity of manhood we

find a delightful creature called

a boy.

Boys come in assorted sizes,

weights and colors, but all

boys are the same.

Boys are found everywhere --

on top of, underneath, inside of,

climbing on, swinging from, running

around or jumping to.

Mothers love them,

little girls hate them,

older brothers and sisters

tolerate them, adults ignore them

and Heaven protects them.

A boy is Truth with dirt

on its face, Beauty with

a cut on its finger,

Wisdom with bubble gum in

its hair and the hope

of the future with a frog

in its pocket.

When you want him to make

a good impression, his brain

turns to jelly, or else he

becomes a savage, sadistic jungle

creature bent on destroying the world.

A boy is a composite --

he has the appetite of a horse,

the digestion of a sword swallower,

the energy of an atom bomb,

the curiosity of a cat,

the lungs of a dictator,

the shyness of a violet

and when he makes something,

he has five thumbs on each hand.

A boy is a magical creature --

you can lock him out of

your workshop, but you can't

lock him out of your heart.

Might as well give up --

he is your captor, your jailer,

your boss and your master --

a freckled face, pint size,

cat chasing bundle of noise.

But when you come home at night

with only the shattered pieces

of your hopes and dreams,

he can mend them like new

with the two magic words, "HI, DAD!"

"Alan Beck"