Do you have a joker in your family?
My family is full of jokers. Below is a home video from 1999 when I was practicing for a poetry reading. Like many people, I have a fear of public speaking, so I needed to practice in order to stay calm and not fret to the point my nerves unraveled.
My oldest daughter goofed around in the background. It took me a while to catch on. She was about 18 at the time. I had a laughing attack watching this a few months ago. I’d forgotten how funny April was with her shenanigans.
I’m only sharing excerpts rather than the whole poem because I may publish it as a picture book.
At one point, our cat PeeWee jumped up onto the chair and startled April. Haha!
Ollie ollie oxen
free free free!
Winner wins
losers weep
Tic tac toe
Tag! You’re it!
With heavy hearts
we stand and gawk
Granddad hollers over the rail
Stop all that noise,
his face so pale
Better leave our gramps alone
Long faces
Breathe in the magic
hold your breath
I love her expressions.
Greeted by the morning yawn
New sidewalk chalk lights up our eyes!
Joker, joker, joker!
Small footprints lead down the path . . .
. . . to endless whims, dreams, and sighs
far beyond where magic lies
If you watch the video, you can hear me hooting, cackling, and snorting as I was re-recording this home video to share on YouTube. Ah, the memories of raising kids. Parents never know what to expect, especially with a house full of little jokers.
Humor helps keep my fretting in check. Fret is The Daily Post one-word prompt for today.
It’s National Poetry Month. If you’d like to read more of my poems, check these out:
Defeat and Hope
What are your thoughts? Do you take a lot of home videos or photos? Do you enjoy reminiscing years later when you look back at them? Do you tend to fret? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
This is hysterical…April is so darn funny! Every time I watch this I just crack up more and more!!
Me, too, Pambelina! She should be a comedian. Haha!