An Addendum or Correction to the Previous Poem

My previous poem might have been a bit too sweet. Den and Sher reminded me that the ride home from Willoughby wasn't always rosaries and songs! Here's a poem that will balance the picture a bit.

The Straight Dope on the Coughlin Family of the 1950’s

Yea, it was a great family, but I forgot to tell you:

On those long rides home from Willoughby,
Denny had to sit by the back window, puking so often from car sickness.
And Jesus H. Christ, was he in trouble a lot at St. William’s!

We teased Mary Ellen mercilessly, but we didn’t
Entice her or force her to drink that glass of bleach—
That was her own doing and probably Mom’s mistake
For pouring bleach into a drinking glass and leaving it within a toddler’s reach.

And Kevin, poor Kevin, we dropped him on his head
More times than I can count—always accidentally, of course.
You can see the results still—it explains a lot, the politics, etc.
And sorry, Kev, about that fishing fly caught up your nose.

And Jim, the baby of the family, was like our toy, or better yet,
Our pet. Sorry about that long walk on the coldest day in Cleveland history.
The frostbite and all. Sorry your toes still get numb at the first sign of cold.

And Mom didn’t intentionally run over me, the apple of her eye,
Her firstborn son. That must have been an accident,
I keep telling myself.

And Dad probably did drink too much. Luckily,
Mom diluted the Cribari wine half and half with water.
Dad probably had no idea what real wine tasted like!

Yea, it was a wonderful family, a wonderful time,
But, when I think about it,

We were more like the Simpsons than Ozzie and Harriet!