Grandpa's Interview

"Grandpa, here's your coffee,"

Said Edith, as she filled his cup.

"Nobody'll find you here,

And Earl is glad you guys showed up."

"The way things are downtown,

You might have to stay for awhile.

There was a helicopter hovering over your house

When I talked to your neighbor, Kyle."

"Who the hell do they think they are,

Invading our home like that?

Grandma and I had to leave so fast,

We couldn't even catch the cat."

"The helicopter scared the shit out of him,

And it took off down a trail,

Down past the railroad tracks,

Towards the county jail."

"Jed, you really screwed up now!

What did you have to do that for?

Everybody wants to hang your ass,

And here's a note from Lenore."

Sun touched the cold steel bars

As she slipped the letter in.

Jed took it up and read it

And he couldn't hide a grin.

Outside the jail window

A crow flew across the sky,

Completely disappearing behind each bar.

Then a helicopter flew by.

"Say hi to Earl and Edith.

Tell'em I'm doing fine.

Tell'em you're old enough to leave home now,

And they ought to cut the line."

"Can Grandma come and see me?

I got a new song to sing

It's longer than all the others combined

And it doesn't mean a thing."

The noise was unfamiliar.

Walkie-talkies squealing,

Generators were running,

Vans parked outside in the field.

TV crews and cameras,

They wanted to interview Grandpa on the porch.

They came through the gate and up on the lawn,

Knocking down Edith's tiki torch.

And Grandpa saw them there,

Looking through the venetian blind.

"Those people don't have any respect,

So they won't get any of mine."

"I don't wanna talk about Jed.