on the day before thanksgiving

school was out

 kids had energy to burn

so I borrowed the big car

to round everyone up

and

enjoy an afternoon with

two grandies

 four neighborhood friends

and a lot of smuggled-in candy

while settling into

comfy seats

at the local theater.

one tried pre-filling his Santa hat

to the top with treats

before we left his house

but the group voted and decided

it was unsteady, looked suspicious,

and would quickly reveal our scheme.

it’s all about teaching life skills.

“the magic of film isn’t just because of the big screen,

or the acoustics,

but he ineffable shared experience of going to the movies.”

-fernando perez