I guess I’ve been once before
\nI remember some poles, my grandpa,
\na can of live pink worms
\nMaybe a boat or just standing over a bridge
\nAnd mostly I remember screaming and being very not into the idea of touching a worm to put it on a hook to catch a fish on said hook to then have to unhook and smell and look at and later eat
\nI was that kind of kid and yes, am still that kind of adult
\nMy little sister did it though and I remember my grandpa being proud of her – not that he was upset or shamed me – he let me be and didn’t push it
\nMy grandpa was a chef in the army during the Don Draper years, Korea
\nI remember watching him peel potatoes
\nSo fast so efficient
\nAnd I remember loving his meals
\nMy grandma was a good cook too but near the end they were both on the Richard Simmons deal a meal kick – a lot of good that did
\nThough I do love me some Richard
\nI was a kid, under 12, and wasn’t ready to see gore before dinner
\nI don’t remember if I caught a fish or if we ever went again
\nI think by the time my memory started filing things away both grandparents were dead (heart attack for one, six months later a swift suicide for the other) and I spent years, decades, waking up and remembering that fact over and over again
\nBummer
\nI remember fish fries though at the VA
\nAnd how much I liked being there the only kid
\nThe only girl
\nHearing these old men talk about what they’ve seen done and been through
\nAnd having them treat me like a 1950s lady
\nBuying me Shirley Temples
\nJesus no wonder I cry at Mad Men episodes and hold that show as sacred not profane
\nThe best part besides being there as grandpas girl
\nWas that the fish didn’t taste like fish
\nWhich of course goes a long way with someone who was grossed out by the food chain
\nBreaded fried battered and unrecognizable <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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