For my father at 80: A Birthday Thesaurus

                                     “Jack Brown is a verb”
                                     — Shawn Papazian, November 2018

Jack Brown
Verb

Synonyms

To run
as in run wild, run lines,
run errands (for everyone)
run a theater, run a business (or six)
run after your dreams
run after the woman you love

To laugh
as in laugh at dirty jokes and bad puns,
laugh at locked doors and chained fences
laugh at life and its checkmates
laugh hearty, loud, and delicious
laugh at no one or nothing as much as yourself

To help
as in help a friend, help a stranger,
lend a hand, your time, your imagination,
help quietly and consistently
without fanfare or spotlight
help as simply and naturally
as breathing

To dream
as in dream big, dream daily
as in pump dreams like blood
still pumping, still breathing,
still rich with life and vision

To love
as love in action, love as action
love as the intimate, glorious verb that it is
he loves
he is loving
he has loved
he will love
he is so very, very loved.

Jack Brown is a verb.
May we all learn
in our crazy, busy lives
to Jack Brown with the best!

c Deborah Edler Brown, November 2018

photo courtesy of Richard A. Sherer, November 2018

 

 

 

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