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I fell asleep
listening to
a Bill Withers' song
and
had a dream
about my paternal
grandparents
Just the three of us
They spoke with the vocabulary
of college professors
but I sounded like
a kindergarten kid
Present us with a hypothetical
said my grandfather
Related to the upbringing
of eight children
added my grandmother
In real life,
they had eight "children"
Seven of which
became my aunts and uncles
plus the eldest
of four boys
who was my father
"Otay, here is da hypotetical"
said the kindergarten me:
"Wha if one of da eight
had a fuzzy brain
and eveybody
laff at him"
Both grandparents laughed
and asked me to continue
"Wood you ha' traded him in
for tree milly dollaz?"
They looked at each other
then looked at me
and answered in two voices:
Yes
said my grandmother
Without hesitation
added my grandfather
My grandmother concluded:
This issue has been discussed
repeatedly in the great beyond
with octet-generating
parents and unanimously
they respond
exactly as we did,
all of them
licking their lips,
saying
"$3 million dollars
would be like
manna from heaven"
Then I awoke,
feeling very fuzzy
but loving my
grandparents
more than
I could imagine
***
© PAUL OLIVERIO ©
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