There Is Nothing Covered, That Shall Not Be Revealed —Matthew 10:26

Charlie Oberholtzer told me
on the way home from school
that there was no Santa Claus.
I knew he was wrong
or at least I was pretty sure.
His family was Mennonite and did
odd things like have a prayer
before AND after they ate
their meals which I thought excessive.
Also they didn’t have a radio
in their house or at least
I never heard one playing
and I thought that explained a lot.
Still Charlie was a year ahead of
me in school and the wisdom
of second graders loomed large
in my assessment of trustworthiness.

Yes there is I said.
No there isn’t he said.
My mother says there is I said
triumphantly which effectively
ended the conversation.

She stood at the sink
and listened to my report
then gave the dish towel a vicious
flap. O that Charlie Oberholtzer
I could wring his neck
she said.

—Ken Gibble, Greencastle, Pennsylvania, is a retired Church of the Brethren pastor. These days, instead of writing sermons, he writes poetry (mostly) and other stuff.