Granny and Your Last Glass of Water

He starts singing songs of Ireland and we are home in a jiffy "What's a jiffy," my mother wonders "Guess where we went Granny?" "I don't know but I have a feeling you are gonna tell me," answers my grandmother "And Don't call me Granny!" "We went to church so Poppy could ask secret questions." "The priest gave Poppy a shot and a beer and Poppy sent me next store and he gave me money for taffy." "He told me not to tell anyone especially you about the priest cause it's only for the priests ears." "He said God would take away taffy and I'd never get another goodie and God would strike me dead if I told." "So I can't tell anyone." "He did," and she starts yelling and grabs a weapon,"what kind of idiot would be scaring a little child?" Granny is standing on Poppy's toes and and asking him questions of where he'd been and getting a sniff of his breath "So what did you tell the priest and him giving you consolation and a shot and beer." "That little rat ," and thinks about the money for candy Later, Granny is chasing Poppy with that big iron frying pan and poppy running and singing "In Heaven they have no beer, that's why we drink it here." "You damn fool I'm gonna bust you in the head, "and throws the pan at his head And later Cousin Francis has bill collectors come to the house looking for him Granny was four foot seven inches and she starts kicking him in the shin My Mother grabs his Dick Tracy hat and she jumps on it and flattens it I ask my mom where I was when this happened and she pauses " You were in Heaven Patrick waiting with your brother!" The truancy officers bang on the door and want to know where Uncle Charles is Granny shrugs and says, "He is upstairs and the sound of the window going up sounds They all run upstairs and see Uncle sliding down the tree and running as fast as his seven year legs can move He comes home later that evening holding a goose under his arm And Poppy has a soft-boiled goose egg for breakfast every morning I ask Uncle what happened to that goose and He said,"one day he came home and they had chicken for dinner." And Poppy was gone to heaven to get me and my brother ready Mom says And Granny sits my brother and me on her lap and says,"you two knuckleheads listen up." "This is very important so don't forget it." "Treat people the way you want to be treated, because you never know who is going to hand you your last glass of water"