Save the Date

Meet Grandpa Michael,

An old bloke with a grey motorcycle.

He makes a living selling some vinyl,

And at home, his word is final.

At least, that’s what he believes,

But Grandma Layla has a few tricks up her sleeve.

With a sly smile, she turns to leave,

Reminding him his grandchildren are near.

Begrudgingly, he concedes.  

But deep down, he sincerely believes

His grandchildren are plotting insincere schemes,

That are sure to leave him displeased.

To his dismay, 

This was no ordinary day.

April first was here to say,

 “You will be made a fool by noon today.” 

The five grandchildren were fans of pranks,

And it was inconvenient, to be frank,

Because Grandpa Michael knew for a fact

That they wouldn’t cut him some slack.

Every year was the same

With the cautious Michael at bay,

Weary of the youngsters’ ways

Of marking him as a prey.

One might wonder why

These young ones set their sights

On tricking the old man into a fright,

Excited to see his face pale and white.

This year would be extra suspenseful,

As Grandpa Michael plans to be careful

To make certain those kids are unsuccessful

In turning the situation dreadful.

Meet the eldest Ryan,

Who is as sturdy as iron,

And as daring as a lion,

Ready to form an alliance.

He approaches Nader,

Second place in the sibling ladder.

Together, they sort the matter

Of making Grandpa Michael madder.

With technology on their side,

The two boys eventually decide

To deny Grandpa Michael of his right 

To access his phone from the inside.

It was soon established

That Ryan would provide a distraction,

While Nader snuck in for the action

Of changing the passcode to their satisfaction.

Quickly, they got to work

With Ryan using his persuasive quirk

To convince Grandpa Michael of the perks

Of buying him more band shirts.

Meanwhile, Nader is occupied

With dragging the phone to his bedside.

Only then, he opens his eyes wide

To the fact that he and Ryan lost by a landslide.

Nader realized with an ache

that the phone was a fake.

He had made a mistake,

And his reputation was at stake.

With his embarrassment apparent,

He wondered how his grandparent

Could fool him with such merit,

Worthy of a decorated lieutenant.

Nader trudged to his ally

Hoping Ryan wouldn’t act like a wise guy.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be shy

About giving him a piece of his mind.

Grandpa Michael sported a smile

Knowing he had survived the first trial.

Believe him, it was worthwhile

To see the eldest two lose, every once in a while.

Meet Dalia, the middle child.

Her ambition’s anything but mild.

She has no problem going wild

With sneaky ideas brewing in her mind.

Dalia is really ecstatic 

and finds it quite pragmatic

That her grandmother was truly dogmatic

About keeping an old baby monitor in the attic.

Little does she know

That Grandpa Michael already foresaw

And implanted a flaw

That is sure to make her withdraw.

For when she opens the attic door,

A rattling sound will shake her to her core,

And a white ghost would soar

Warning, “Come here no more!”

Just as Grandpa Michael expected,

Little Dalia was seriously affected

And towards him, she was directed,

Begging to be protected.

After the incident was resolved,

Grandpa Michael couldn’t help but behold

The chances of him winning grew tenfold.

His hopes remained a stronghold.

Meet Sami, the youngest son.

He swore not be outdone,

Not by a long run,

For the fun has just begun.

Grandpa Michael has a habit

Of hiding his keys in a leather jacket.

Without them, he would have to make a racket

To drag his motorcycle and back it.

So off Sami went!

To steal the keys, for all intent,

Without Grandpa Michael’s consent

While imagining the old man’s discontent. 

When he tried to grab the key,

He was shocked to a great degree

When he felt something sticky

touch his little pinky.

Now shocked would be an understatement.

Revolted would be a better statement

To describe the abatement

Of his self-appraisement.

In his anger and shock,

Sami felt the gum get caught

In a lock of his hair, like a clot

Leaving him feeling distraught.

He frantically calls his savior

Even if he’ll be punished for misbehavior,

And Grandpa Michael savors the flavor

Of watching Sami ask for this favor.

The grandchildren start to mope,

But they have one last hope.

Sara, the youngest of the trope

Had an imagination worthy of a wide scope.

She thought long and hard,

‘What could lower Grandpa Michael’s guard?

Maybe a stray dog in the yard

Or a strange message on a card?’

No, Grandpa Michael was too clever.

He would see right through her endeavors.

It was time to take drastic measures;

To be remembered as the best prankster ever!

She practiced in front of a mirror,

How she could say the lie clearer

As time drew nearer,

Her siblings began to cheer for her.

She looked to Grandpa Michael and sighed

With her expression teary-eyed,

“There’s no winning this time.

That much, no one can deny.”

She extends her hand in defeat

And tries to be discreet,

“Shake my hand, and we’ll retreat.

Next April, we’ll repeat.”

Grandpa Michael replied,

“You have all made great strides

But losing happens sometimes.

Put away the hand buzzer and resign.”

Sara lowers her hand.

Things had not gone according to plan.

She turns to her siblings with a command,

“Leave April first in the washed-up sand.”

That’s when Grandma Layla returns

And she’s amused to learn

That her husband has overcome his concern

In such a surprising turn.

However, Grandma Layla has some insight

The date on the calendar isn’t quite right

Where there’s a “one” in the corner upright,

There should be a “two” in plain sight. 

He couldn’t believe his ears

Had he been bested by his peer?

His grandchildren were full of glee,

And he had to witness the jubilee.

Grandpa Michael reckoned

That there was not a split second

Where he wasn’t threatened,

Whether it’s April first or second.