From Father to Son

One day on a day that was sunny and warm
The sky clouded over and in came a storm
The lightning was bright. The thunder was loud.
My daughter asked why lightning comes from a cloud.

"The cumulo nimbus," my father related,
"Collides with the cloud base," he pontificated,
"And in that collision, this bumping about,
Lightning will flash and then thunder comes out."

My daughter had on such a frustrated look.
She understood none of this gobblety-gook.
And I was disgusted at what he just did
'Cause I saw him do this when I was a kid.

This episode left something stuck in my craw.
It seems that I too have this character flaw.
When asked I will give you the truth without fail,
But lacking the truth, I will make up a tail.

It happened one day in a history test.
I wasn't prepared though I still did my best.
The test was an essay. My knowledge was poor.
Today I can't say how they started that war.

I had to do something, at least brass it out.
The topic was one I knew nothing about.
I cudgeled my brain and as you might suppose,
Came up with a cause for the war of the rose.

I laid it all out as a string of events.
I wrote it all down so it seemed to make sense.
My knowledge was perfect, my essay the best.
That's how I felt when I turned in the test.

Well,

The look on the prof told my what I had made.
He stifled a laugh when he gave me my grade,
He smiled so wide that his dimples went double.
That's when I knew I was in for some trouble.

"Since nothing like this has been written before,
I am sorry I had to give such a low score."
His challenge was such that I couldn't forget it.
I had to ask why though I truly regret it.

His answer was hard like a blow to the gizzard.
"Your essay's a snow job. In fact it's a blizzard.
Your logic was such that I might have believed it.
It just didn't happen the way you conceived it.

The cause which your essay so nicely proposes
As why England fought in the War of the Roses
Is gravely in error. It can't be correct.
The time your cause happens postdates its effect.

Your essay's well written. It flows as it should.
It almost makes sense and it sounded so good.
I'd say anyone who had not checked it out
Would think you knew what you were talking about.

Of course I know better. You didn't fool me.
But I'm a nice guy so I gave you a D.
From now on, each day, before you come to class,
You'll do all your homework if you want to pass.

Well,

My face was all red and I felt rather rotten.
My ego was burned by the scolding I'd gotten.
It's true that I had written fiction for fact.
But why did I have to get caught in the act?

I have to acknowledge this in my defense.
When I give an answer it seems to make sense.
It might not be true but I am rather bright.
It sounds good to me so it has to be right.

I know I did just as my father had done.
'Cause sins of the father are passed to the son.
But now I am older and my son is three.
And I'll do to him as my dad did to me.