Ode To Theo

I was a little bit younger than you

When I first saw you in 1984

My cousin would always say I remind her of you

Perhaps, maybe, I wasn’t sure

At a time when color was still a thing to some

Even the ones that looked like us,

It always made me feel good inside to see you

Going through what you had to do

I grew up with you

A few steps behind all the time

I even dreamed for a while of being like you

On camera with the world watching as I talked

Our worlds were vastly different

I grew up neither rich nor poor

But in those times, we both wanted many of the same things

You liked Lana Herman, I liked her too

And probably a dozen other girls

Who I barely knew or didn’t have the courage to talk to

Sometimes it was just like that

And I saw it in you, too

If my sister had made me that fake Gordon Catrell

I wouldn’t have worn it

But the laughter that rang through our house

Brought the joy that only Theo could bring

I remember you as cool and going to college

Despite having a learning challenge

You were the inspiration for so many of us

Stumbling through life, trying to make it happen

Not sure what you would be

Or how you would be

Or who you would be

I remember when it ended Theo

And in came Malcom and Eddie

I watched, we watched

I wrote 2 episodes that you never saw

That I believed was perfect for you

I heard your band perform, heard your spoken word

And admired your resilience and original spirit

I didn’t know you personally, and that’s okay

You were an integral part of my formative teenage years

I always rooted for you, wishing you to keep flying

Because Theo was my childhood, and I cherished all of it

I know the pain of drowning

And I wish that I could wish that away from you and all you knew

I wish that it wasn’t a shared experience

Because this wasn’t in front of a camera

Where you get to go home

Your tributes have been so plentiful

And heartfelt and painful

That is a testament to you

A testament that though we cannot capture time

And hold our lives still

Little things live forever in so many ways

To so many people

You were more than Theo

There’s nothing more apparent than now

Theo’s time came and went

As he was truly meant to be

Malcolm-Jamal’s legacy will go beyond this Final Act

Rest Easy to both of you