Wisdom from the Old Mesquite Tree

Wisdom from the Old Mesquite Tree

At a very young age Tommy and I were wondering what made someone good or bad. 

 As we sat in that old Mesquite tree, Tommy said girls are good you see, but that seemed strange to me, I ask what makes them good, and Tommy said that is just the way they come. 

Now I had a sister, as sweet as she could be, but I do recall she pushed me from that tree, and did she not, push me out of the window on my head, and tried to drown me at the age of only three, O’ Tommy, I asked, what would make a girl bad?

Well, if it was possible for a girl to be bad, she would do bad things, things like what I said, like talking in class or telling a big fat lie, or maybe spitting on the sidewalk.  So now I felt much better about my sister, you see, she never spat on the sidewalk as for as I had seen.

Tommy’s wisdom was so amazing, I asked, what makes a boy bad, and this is what he said, boys can’t help being a little bad, but why might that be, it’s because we seem weird to those who have forgotten the joy of sitting in a tree. 

It is not that we mean to be bad, Tommy said to me, it’s just that boys need to be free, free from what, Tommy, and this is what he said to me; from books and homework, and wearing shoes, and doing things that girls do, and that seemed good to me.  What about spitting on the sidewalk and telling tall tells and pulling pigtails and having a peach off of Mrs. Jericho tree, and Tommy said, that just being a boy you see.

Bob Rice