NEEDLING

The parable the one
about two brothers
and their father
that’s the one I was thinking of
this morning.

The difference
between saying yes and no
to your father
when he asks you to perform
a chore
unpleasant probably.

One says Yes.
The other says No.

The one who says Yes
is the one who
around your father
always says Yes
and helps him out holding his arms
stepping down the curb
or running to get him a drink
in the fridge
telling him not to worry about a thing
just to sit down
relax.

The one who says No
is the one who
around your father
always says No
and argues every point talking back
going too far most of the time
or running around bitching with a drink
about how things are
yelling this is not fair and must be changed
just to sit down
and listen.

And the father asks
the two brothers
to do his will
and do him this last chore
and the one who says Yes
says Yes
and the one who says No
says No.

The father gives
the one who says Yes
a present as usual.

The father gives
the one who says No
reprimand a usual.

When all is said
and done
and they all go their respective way
the one who says Yes
goes home
forgets about his father
and shows off to his wife
the present
telling her all about how
he tricked his father
once more.

He does nothing
of what his father
had asked him
to do.

The one who says No
goes home
and thinks all about his father
and tells his wife
his sadness
and what his father had asked
of him
which he refused.

After much thought
he does
what his father had asked.

The next time they see
their father
he praises the one
who says Yes
and reprimands the one
who says No
and the one who says Yes
makes fun
of the one who says No
who
looks down at his feet
and says nothing.

(In the dark
the one who says No
follows
the one who says Yes
follows him
into a dark alleyway
and stabs him
the one who says Yes
till he cries out
the one who says Yes
till he cries out
and expires
and the one who says No
goes home
to his wife
and says Yes.)