Christmas

I made Big Dope go with me for a walk last night. I shaped into Arnold Awesome the 18-year-old who’s always full of wonder. I didn’t want to embarrass anyone. We went looking for at the holiday decorations around the neighborhood.

As usual, he was cynical. “Look at all them lights,” I said as we walked by one house with maybe a zillion lights flashing.

“Waste of time.”

“They look so neat.”

“They could feed a lot of poor people with money they spent on this display.”

“Makes you feel, like, uh, like, loving people, doesn’t it?”

“Makes me feel like wanting it to be over.”

"Here," I said. "I’ve kept it ever since I’ve been on Earth. I reached into the pocket of my coat and retrieved a scrap of paper.

“Remember what Ron Wild wrote?” I said. I moved him toward the light of a street lamp and told him to read it aloud.

“Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child.”

“You gave me that the first Christmas I was here.”

He blinked.

“They haven’t gotten to you that bad, have they?”

He smiled. “Merry Christmas,” he said. “Hey, look at that one down there.”