A Birthday Poem from Ilonka Liska

March 5, 2026

Look what I woke up to this morning:
a poem from my German friend, Ilonka Liska.
I am in tears!

 

(Thank you, dear friend!

Come share my joy with me in Costa Rica when you can!)

A Toast to Kris: 75 Years and a New Horizon

 

Seventy-five years of stories told,

A writer’s heart, brave and bold.

From the final frontier of the stars we knew,

To a jungle home where the skies are blue.

​Six months have passed in the Pura Vida air,

With a tropical breeze through silver hair.

No longer trekking through the cold of space,

You’ve found your peace in this vibrant place.

​You sit with your coffee as the morning begins,

Reviewing your verbs where the Spanish wins.

Un paso a la vez, the sentences flow,

Watching the palms and the orchids grow.

​By your side sits Charli, loyal and wise,

With the spirit of adventure in feline eyes.

A writer’s companion, a shadow, a friend,

On whom every chapter and verse can depend.

​And though we remember the doctor’s kind face,

The warmth DeForest brought to every place—

He’d surely be proud of the journey you’ve made,

From the ink on the page to the mango tree’s shade.

​So here’s to the writer, the student, the man,

Living his life on a brilliant new plan.

Happy Birthday, Kris, may the future stay bright,

Live long and prosper in the Costa Rican light!

Ilonka Liska 🖖💕❤️🎂

I will write a 75th birthday post soon, but want to sit with this from Ilonka for a while…

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