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We should always be kind to family, because life is short, and you never know when you will lose someone.

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The story begins to introduce the theme by obviously focusing on family. The second poem is titled "How I Got My Nickname." Immediately, we are introduced to one of the most important characters- his father. It says, "I'm not that big on jazz music, but Dad is. One day we were listening to a CD of a musician named Horace Silver, and dad says, 'josh, this cat is the real deal.'" This immediately shows a tad bit of an "annoyance" so to speak with a loved one, his father. The picture below shows a father and a son, just like this poem includes.

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In "Basketball Rule #1" it says, "In this game of life, your family is the court, and the ball is your heart. No matter how good you are, no matter how down you get, always leave your heart on the court." This, once more, drives the point home. The theme is family, and family is very important to Josh. Basketball is closely tied, but overall, family takes priority. The picture below agrees with that thought.

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In the poem "Cut", it says "He opens the scizzors, grabs my hair to slash a strand. I dont hear my golden lock hit the floor, but i do hear the sound of calamity when Vondie hollers 'OH, SNAP!'" This shows his brother and him, at the end of a bet. Childishly, they bet stupid things. Mooning a table of nerdy 6th graders and then to cut off a lock of his hair. While basketball is closely tied, once again, the book focuses on family. The picture shows a man missing hair... a lot like Josh after this bet.

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The next quote is a bit more serious. In the poem "At Noon, in the Gym, with Dad" it says "watch this, he dips, sweat drips, left yall, right yall, i fall, crowd wild... strutter steps, lets loose, screams loud, stands still, breath short, more sweat, grabs chest, eyes roll, ball drops, dad drops." Here the innocent, happy-go-lucky family suddenly has a problem. Everything was happy and normal, but now, his father has had a heart attack. The picture below shows a man gripping his heart, as if he is having a heart attack.

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In the poem "Questions" it shows a conversation between Josh and his father, in the hospital. The quotes with ' are Josh. It says, "Do you really wanna know? 'Why couldn't I save you?' Don't you see that you did? Aren't I alive?" Sadly, but surely, this foreshadows the end of his father's life. They all know it. Their grandfather died of hypertension, and so will his father. Josh regrets a lot of things. Eating unhealthy snacks, and playing that last basketball game with his father. Sadly, his time with his father went from forever, to a few days/weeks. And they all knew it. The picture shows a basketball, like the last game they played together.

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The theme developed slowly but surely, in a sad way. It starts soft and happy, memories and bickering. Secretly going out to eat with their father behind their mothers back. But then serious issues began to arise, and the boys began to mature. They lost their father, when it felt like they would have him forever. We should always be thankful for those around us that we love, because we are not guarenteed tomorrow.