Bad poetry and Applebee's

First, I post this bad poem for Jenni. I call it "Forty-one." No reason. (unless Jenni wants to admit to her age. Otherwise, I just picked the number out of a hat)

It is your birthday, your birthday so fun,
A day to rejoice as you turn forty-one.

The play life is over, the real life begins
You’ll have much to enjoy, you’ll wish you were twins.

So smile at the day, and to the uglies that frown
On your day, say, “Scram, I’ve no time to be down!

Put on your pink shoes, your bangles and rings,
Don your prettiest clothes and spread wide your wings.

Dance to the music, drink deep from the font
Getting older is fun! You can do what you want.

You can say what you feel, there is no one to nag,
Or lecture or reprimand, or say, “Scalliwag!”

There is freedom in forties, and fifties and on,
The days of being held back have up and have gone.

So get on getting happy! Waste not your time!
The best years are ahead, your life onward, sublime!

Bad poetry, we love thee! I hope you enjoyed it. It probably took you longer to read it than I took to write it. I love picking rhyming words out of a hat.

As for Applebee's, Paul, Matt and I had an interesting experience yesterday dinner time. I took them to Applebee's because Matt had a coupon from school and Jim and Hayley weren't home yet. OJ was at work. So we sat down in our assigned booth and our server approached and he looked JUST LIKE Johnny Depp in "Secret Window." I was so creeped out I could hardly look the guy in the eyes. He was a nice guy, but I kept thinking "HE'S JOHNNY DEPP" and I could hardly talk. I had to keep my eyes on the menu while we ordered. The server probably thought I was antisocial. After he left to put in our orders, Paul leaned over and said, "He looks like Johnny Depp." So Paul noticed it too. After getting over the initial shock of having a celebrity lookalike for a waiter, we had a pleasant dinner, just the three of us. Paul didn't needle Matt for anything, which was nice. As we finished up, Server FauxDepp said he had some good news for us. The guy in the next booth (who had since left) paid for our meal. I didn't believe him at first so he showed me the receipt. He explained that the gentleman, who asked to remain anonymous, did it because he thought Matt and Paul were well-behaved during dinner. I was taken aback, but in a good way. So I guess I have two good kids (well, I have five good kids, but three of them weren't there). I am pleased that Matt and Paul got a chance to see that good behavior is noticed and appreciated, even by strangers. And even though I saw on the receipt that the man added a tip, I left some money too. Server FauxDepp got to enjoy a little generosity as well. To the man at Applebee's who paid for our dinner, you are generous and we thank you!

Comments

Jen said…
Lovely poem for Jenni's birthday. Happy Birthday to Jenni (but I'll post that elsewhere, too).

What an interesting Applebee's experience. To meet Johnny Depp, and it was free! I can attest to the well-behaved children that belong to you. Now if only those kids would rub off on mine who certainly wouldn't garner any free meals for their behavior. Well, I could see someone paying us to not eat at a certain place again.
Karie said…
Nice poem!

That is a very, very awesome Applebee's experience. I hope someday to have my children behave well in a restaurant. By the time they're 35, I should have that accomplished.
Dennis said…
Darn good poetry.
As for well behaved children you have the best.
Once when I was about 8 or 9 or 10 Mom & Dad took up to Pickle Bills Restaurant. They had sawdust on the floor. You can probably guess the rest but we were invited to NOT return in the future.
Jenni said…
I love that story and I shared it with a class of Mrs. Teto's who is reading a book about civility. What a good example your family was and also what a kind man. You deserve it, too!
Jenni said…
And, thank you for my polem. I love it. I shall print it and put it in my journal.
Jessie said…
Awesome poem!

As for the man at Applebee's (who also seems pretty amazing!), I'm not too surprised: after trapping your family in the basement with Bon for the day, he kept commenting how well-behaved they were and how they were so nice and respectful of each other.