Remember, Grandpa? ! Poem by Herbert Nehrlich

Ahhhhhhh, the sound of bliss and comfort
escapes my worn and pale-blanched lips,
first having passed those miracles of craft,
such handsome specimens, so lovingly created
by my young dentist, who -still laughing- clicked them in.
Arthritic wrists no longer need to worry,
their brushing days are over, now we have solutions.
My grandson runs back from the bar
and nearly spills that unnamed drink,
I think it might be called Jack Something, well,
one cannot be expected to be up on all the subjects.

Now, let me see, Lucille is gone,
she would be shopping, maybe dead?
These children look like our brave tribe,
I call them 'boy' and 'girl', for sheer simplicity.
We had such fun this morning, though,
when I inserted downside up
these handy and precision chewers,
I plain forgot and then my mirror lied.

Oh, there he is, that nice young fellow
from 'meals-on-wheels', what's up today?
The soup is hot and one large straw for me,
will take the place of shaky silver spoons.

So, leaning back, my chair is rocking,
those little angels like my slurping.
Man's got to eat and will be heard.
I see the print on my calendar,
a great big X marked for tomorrow,
'Oh Grandpa, we have a surprise',
it says the ninetyseventh there,
I wonder who would get THAT old.

'A party you will not forget,
some dignitaries will be present,
the mayor and Gravedigger Johann, '
it must have been my son, said that.

'So would you kids like milk and..... thingies
and practice the piano now,
it must be just around the corner,
inside that whatyacallit chambers,
and tell me, lad, well would you know,
is Grandma coming back from shopping?
Oh- you don't say - so sorry, dear
it must have been a tragic loss.'

'Ahhh, thank you for reminding me,
so, all you kids it's time for homework,
I do expect that no mistakes
of any kind will sneak their way
into your clever heads today.
I will not help you with your math.

But please be silent while you work,
I'll drink my whiskey, have a snooze.
Just wake me when Lucille comes back,
she does expect the house be tidy,
and tell me when you find my old piano.'

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
slight snoreszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

He settles back and eighteen pairs of twinkling eyes
look with a mix of love and wonder
at the old Geezer who has been
a friend for all those early years.
And two more sips of amber spirits,
lead, fading fast, to early times,
he wonders briefly if one day
a cold air front would bring an end
to miracles of common childhood.

It did not matter to him now,
nor did he want to ask the young ones,
what years had passed in his long life.
By then, a silent frown had settled
upon his forehead and he mused
just how Lucille would view the future.