Tractor
We was sittin on the porch
outside a Chester’s whittlin
toothpicks outta logs.
I looks at Jake’n says,
What’s up with BobbieSue anyways?
Whatcha mean? (says Jake)
I thought we wuz pretty tight
but she don’t come round
when she says she’s gonna
an she’s goin out with some other ole boy
I ain’t evenever met.
You say somethin to ‘er bout it?
I called’er thother night, but
she was makin a marble cake
an had to let me go so’s she
could go find some marbles*.
She’s fickle boy!
Fickle? Whaddayathink I orta do?
Well son, know that tractor we got we use
fer hayrides won’t stay in third gear?
Y-eah.
Do we try’n fix it?
Ain’t worth fixin.
Gets the job done anyways, right?
Well, yeah.
Well son, it’s like any piece
of farm equipment–
you gotta let a tractor* be a tractor,
an let a hoe* be a hoe.
*Zen — a school of Buddhism that asserts that enlightenment can be attained through meditation, contemplation, and intuition rather than through scripture
*marbles — small balls used in children’s games
*tractor — an automotive vehicle designed for pulling machinery
*hoe — a tool with a flat blade and a long handle, used for weeding, gardening, cultivating, and gardening
Originally published in The Portable Wall
