Grandpa in his navy blue
three-piece
suit and claret
tie taught us his made up
word
Transmugliforcandanbumshamity

In leather slippers and ruby
robe, he entertained
grandchildren with tales sung in a
baritone about whales
making love on their
knees.  Seated on the tall shag
carpet at his
feet, we giggled because
whales have
tails and we were too
young to understand
sex

But we knew about
stories and Lawrence
Welk and the
bubble machine and
Love and any color’s all right
as long as it’s
red

© Hilary Clark, 6/4/14

See the quilt here.