Mischief Perchance (Play on Words: Per)

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"The Mind is an Enchanting Thing is an enchanted thing like the glaze on a katydid-wing."

Marianne Moore

Mischief Perchance

One day when I was just a wee little person, my best friends Perry, Persephone and I capered and cavorted with joy and abandon through my granpere’s eggplants, tomatoes and pepper plants. Granpere yelled, “Whipper-snappers! Get out of my peppers!”

Then we cooled off by sailing dead leafhoppers (that we found eating the perennials planted around the pergola) on little newspaper boats across Granpere’s pond. Granpere hollered, “Nippers! Stop persecuting my poor perches!”

Perry, Persephone and I scampered through Granpere’s persimmon orchard tossing rolls of toilet paper through their boughs. When he perused the long paper streamers hanging perpendicularly from his persimmon trees, Granpere exasperatedly roared, “No supper for you! Prepare to perform penance for your misdeeds.”

While the family: Mama (a bookkeeper). Papa (Chairperson of his antiperspirant company located in a skyscraper downtown), my diapered sister Anna, and Granpere dined on a a perfunctory supper of tossed salad (dressed with freshly cracked peppercorns, shaved parmesan and capers), stuffed red bell peppers, poached grouper, and a perfectly delectable grasshopper pie to finish; Perry, Persephone and I practiced our penance and went without.

When the diners removed themselves to the living room, Perry, Persephone and I came out from behind the draperies. I had persuaded them to cooperate in an after supper percussion  performance, playing and singing “Desperado” using Mama’s copper-bottom pots and wooden spoons as instruments. I announced that they should prepare to experience our superb concert.

Granpere put his choppers in a glass as he settled into his leather recliner for a listen, Anna curled up on the Persian rug in her pajamas and slippers, and Mama and Papa perceptively put stoppers in their ears. It wasn’t exactly opera or The Emperor’s Symphony, but Perry, Persephone and I were very pleased with our performance.

That night as I lay my head down on my percale sheets, I perambulated through my dreams, and smiled at all our adventures from the day. Perhaps Granpere was a might too persnickety, but we had fun anyway.

This was written for the Play on Words Challenge. The word to be included this week (Week 16) is “per” See playonwords.gather.com/ for further information. Join the group to join in the fun.

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