Just Once
We’re millionaires, my father said,
Then qualified his pride:
On paper,
This year,
Because it rained.
Still -- millionaires.
He couldn’t say it without smiling,
Disbelieving what he’d done.
We kids wanted it to rain coins
Like in Scrooge McDuck cartoons.
But the proof was in bank ledgers
This year
Because corn futures were good.
And so even with his second
C.C.-and-7
Slaking his dirt-parched throat,
The truth of who owned his victory
Crept into his eyes.
Still, we clung to the moment, imagining
New Barbies
Or Disneyland.
“On paper” was for grownups.
I wanted the Dream House
And all the breaded shrimp I could eat.
Later that night, Mom’s quiet pride
Must have kissed away our quest for proof
Because the subject never came up again.
Still -- millionaires.
Just once,
On paper,
This year,
Because it rained.
One night my step dad didn't have time to make a bank drop for his company. he had 5 or 10 grand in a bag.
ReplyDeleteHe lied to our family (in fun) and told us he found it and gave us each an opportunity to decide how to spend it.
Thinking about it was probably funner than really having it.
Doesn't everything get resolved by "Moms Quiet pride?"
That was the line that worked for me.