Bag pipes…

Toad put the thin button in his pocket…

He was very angry…

He jumped up and down and screamed,

“The whole world is covered with buttons,

and not one of them is mine!!!”

Toad ran home and slammed the door…

There,

on the floor,

he saw his white,

four-holed,

big,

round,

thick button…

“Oh,” said Toad…

“It was there all the time…

What a lot of trouble I have made for Frog…”

— in Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

A few weeks ago,

on the way back,

from swimming lessons,

at Killarney Pool,

Little Gem’s classmate,

who Little Gem finds,

to be,

VERY annoying,

asked her,

Why does you mother often wear a bandana???

I listened,

to the ensuing,

conversation,

with pleasure,

as part of,

my ongoing study,

of perception…

Someone once told me,

something which,

I had never before,

considered,

as he sat across,

the table from me,

perhaps without,

even knowing,

what a genius he is,

that

Perception is everything…

Little Gem gave a long answer,

to a short question…

My mother likes,

to pretend things,

and she likes to,

dress up…

Today she thinks she’s a pirate…

But don’t worry,

she’s the good kind of pirate,

the kind who shares,

her jewels,

with everyone…

The only thing,

she doesn’t get,

is that pirates,

do not wear pink…

The annoying boy,

who sits behind Little Gem,

in class,

bothering her,

by just,

being there,

had pirate insight…

He said,

Real pirates,

always wear,

a little bit of red,

or pink…

Sometimes,

it is a band,

on their arm,

a sash,

or a short kind,

of skirt…

Little Gem said,

My mother does have a pink skirt,

but she saves it,

for special occasions,

like playing pitch and putt…

The annoying boy said,

Oh, she’s the golfing kind of pirate…

Those are rare…

They don’t talk,

about those kind,

in books,

but they really should,

make a movie,

about them…

We walked all of the way back to school,

silently,

and proud,

with our new knowledge,

of pirates…

The kind of knowledge,

that gets pulled,

from the ether…

That ether where,

the laws about,

how one ought,

to live,

wait for people,

to remember them,

and to live them,

out loud…