A Welcome to David
(Rap-sodic Elisabethan Verse in Iconic Penned-Amateur)
I am the father of the bride to be,
And words are rising up inside of me,
For strong emotion that must be spoke
Resembles a Mento dropped in Coke:
And so, to effervesce those phrases out,
I will allow the praises to spout.
David, we're as happy as fuzz on fleece-uh,
As cheddar on cheese-uh,
As redwood on trees-uh
That you are getting together with Lees-uh.
We are as happy as the chocolate on our breath
That you'll be together with Elisa-Beesa-Beth.
For Lisa has looked deep within your soul
As if it were a giant salad bowl
With tomatoes red and cilantro green,
And she has truly loved what she has seen.
The converse of that last verse is also true,
So that's why we're here: to welcome you.
In high definition you have also seen
The essence of Lisa like a picture on a screen,
And what you've done with that image, I know
Has been a magic merger with major mojo.
To her smiling face you have added visual tonic,
You have melded two minds in two-tone harmonic;
With the latest tools of modern electronica,
Life has been joyful in Santa Monica.
Using a flow of bright daily algorithms
You have coaxed forth some light-wave rhythms
Using program language effective and frugal
Just the very way you do for Google.
Now I speak not only for myself alone,
But for the Hacken Family, as it is known,
For Lisa's sisters, father and mother,
For my Transylvanian wife and Lisa's baby brother.
For in-laws named South and Montgomery and Garrett,
For nephews with hybrid Hacken to inherit,
For distant cousins in Kassel and Vienna,
And for a helpful bus driver in Sienna.
The list could go on; I could describe every face,
But this is neither the time nor the place.
Look, I am not here to give advice:
It wouldn't be proper, and it wouldn't be nice,
But let me just gush with the warmest of wishes,
And then digress to… gastronomic dishes:
May you enjoy the benefits of vegetable stew,
Eating food with Lisa as veggie-mongers do,
Whether it be cold or hot, whether crunchy or gooey,
May you find your comfort in a lifelong ratatouille.
And we say welcome to your family, too,
To those who raised up a man like you.
Yeah, welcome we say to the Catmull clan,
To those who have loved you since your life began,
And to those who lent you meaning as you went from boy to man
In Utah or Marin, in Oahu or Japan.
I am the father of the bride to be,
And words are rising up inside of me:
For I have never seen Lisa's heart that full
Since she's met you, Mr. David Catmull.
It's clear that your future together is bright,
And so to your project: I give a green light!
Dick Hacken
"That's a Rap"
September 15, 2007