Under Her Pepper Tree

photo: ag.arizona.ed

Under Her Pepper Tree (for Barbara Cummings and Bruce Shipley)


Barbara and Bruce were my best friends in fourth grade
Barbara was very (very) slow,
Bruce too
They both had special needs, like me
Bruce wore braces attached to his shoes
I had fat knees
Bruce was perfect with legs bent
Barbara was retarded, whatever that meant
I walked her home from school every day ~
up the hill ↑ to the end → turn right
...under her Pepper Tree swinging like kites
eating JELL-O straight from the box
Me in a ponytail, her wearing locks (thin in the wind,)
blotched skin pale. . .
UNTIL!
Big-Sister yelled -
Go Home! All right!
I thought it was something about the JELL-O
pried open with knives from the branches we made
There were no strings attached to the kites when we played
NOT SO, said Big-Sister
I had to go home
I cried the next day, watching her walk ↑ up the hill, alone
Two girls in pain
Was I really to blame?
For weeks I was lonely ~
so was she, under her Pepper Tree
with no best friend ~ me
Then there was Bruce ├ ┤ a class act
wearing shiny splinters wrapped around his legs
(They kind of looked like pegs)
Off to the playground we’d walk slow
I lifted him up when he fell
Because I was crippled, as well
Other kids giggled
Not me
I had fat knees
Did God do this to His Creation?
I need an explanation
I didn't learn it in fourth grade
and I missed the part of the Golden Rule
where it says:
Be like all the rest
Don’t do your best
and never look like a fool
hanging out with special needs kids in school
I try to find the answer from where I sit
(Barbara) (Bruce) and (Me)
on my chair,
at my keyboard ~
under her Pepper Tree

Linda