The Preacher’s Son

The diversion worked!

He must have thought we were

having a friendly discussion about

friuit as he passed through carrying his canvasses

barely glancing before

entering his

so called studio where he

drew and painted …

***

We drove an old two seat Nash Metropolitan stickshift to the

driven in; I think the

Reverend thought that car was

one of a limited number of birth control

devices available at that time; one, being the

‘french safe’ …

as our fathers called them … We called them rubbers, they’re

condoms now.

wull … a horse by any other name,

I guess.

***

The big guys carried them in black

wallets hauled out of back pockets at

opportune times for us to glimpse the

silver dollar O form of the things clearly visible

on the outside of those wallets they

flashed around us when they were sure

we were looking as if they were

trophies on display …

***

We’d say, ‘’Man, he must be getting it all the time,’’ with

shock and awe!

They were real

men, to us.  Macho, you’d say

today,  their illusions

indisputable …