Granny from the Days of Yore by Todd Mercer
Don’t waste it, kid. Don’t spend it
all in one place. Granny presses
a dollar into little shaver’s hand.
No one told her about inflation.
This kid thinks, well shit, lady,
I don’t even get out of bed
for less than five bucks.
These Kindergarten tykes
are wise to their earning power.
Granny strikes the boy
as a time traveler, transported
from the ancient nineteen-hundreds.
The boy’s glad they both can speak
the same language. His Mom says
Granny was a girl once,
but Mom is kind of a kidder.
She’s been known to tell stories
in order to make a point.
On Sunday Granny passes mints
in church. It helps the little fella
get through an entire hour
without crawling under pews
or singing during the sermon.
Mom says Granny’s done this
since she was a kid herself.
Certain customs, key traditions
make sense to newer people.
Sit up, child. Let the preacher
tell us the old old story. Patience.
Punch and cookies await us
in the narthex after this is through.
all in one place. Granny presses
a dollar into little shaver’s hand.
No one told her about inflation.
This kid thinks, well shit, lady,
I don’t even get out of bed
for less than five bucks.
These Kindergarten tykes
are wise to their earning power.
Granny strikes the boy
as a time traveler, transported
from the ancient nineteen-hundreds.
The boy’s glad they both can speak
the same language. His Mom says
Granny was a girl once,
but Mom is kind of a kidder.
She’s been known to tell stories
in order to make a point.
On Sunday Granny passes mints
in church. It helps the little fella
get through an entire hour
without crawling under pews
or singing during the sermon.
Mom says Granny’s done this
since she was a kid herself.
Certain customs, key traditions
make sense to newer people.
Sit up, child. Let the preacher
tell us the old old story. Patience.
Punch and cookies await us
in the narthex after this is through.
Todd Mercer's Bio:
Todd Mercer’s short collection, Ingenue, was a winner of the Celery City contest. His digital chapbook, Life-wish Maintenance is available for free at Right Hand Pointing. Mercer has been nominated for Pushcarts and Best of the Net awards in Fiction and Poetry. Recent work appears in Beatnik Cowboy, Fictive Dream, and Six Sentences.
Todd Mercer’s short collection, Ingenue, was a winner of the Celery City contest. His digital chapbook, Life-wish Maintenance is available for free at Right Hand Pointing. Mercer has been nominated for Pushcarts and Best of the Net awards in Fiction and Poetry. Recent work appears in Beatnik Cowboy, Fictive Dream, and Six Sentences.
