Grandpa Rides the Bus


WHEN GRANDPA RIDES THE FIELD TRIP BUS
TO NORTHWEST TREK AT THE END OF SCHOOL YEAR
CELEBRATION FOR 5TH GRADERS MOVING ON,

he's given four boys to chaperone.
He tells them, This bus
is our Mothership. The man at
the steering wheel, dressed in blue cap,
blue shirt, says, My name is Bob,
you can spell it either way.
I'm the captain.

Jack, James, Julio and Tomás.
are Grandpa's boys. His granddaughter
whispers in his ear, Jack is a handful.
Grandpa says, I got it handled.
Jack says, I make amazing sounds
and makes the sound of a goat.
He repeats his goat-sound
called a bleat, sounding
like a child crying for its mother,
until the entire bus bleats after Jack.
Grandpa says to Jack,
You're the goat. Let's go
meet the buffalo.

Bob says, There's a bathroom
in the back for emergencies only.
Boys, if you have to use it,
you sit down, ok. You sit down.
We don't want to use it because then
it smells, and if the bathroom starts smelling,
listen up, I'll go back and get us
a yellow school bus.

Jim Bodeen
8 June  2018


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