Younger Brother Mentoring
As the oldest and world wise brother
I knew I was needed as a mentor
for number 4 and last boy.
When he fell and broke the glass
in the bookcase, I mentioned
that such was not to be done.
He was a fast learner
and never fell again
into the bookcase.
I taught him to play marbles
but he was not too good
because he shot with tongue out.
I tried him with football
but his eyes were so bad
he caught the ball with his glasses.
Basketball was no- go either
as he shot underhanded
like a girl.
Smart though and
I taught him
chess and cribbage.
He got so good that he beat
Pappy regularly, and I joined
the Marines to escape anger.
When I was through with the
Marines and college,
things had cooled off enough to return home.
And what I found was a champion
chess and cribbage player
who was almost illiterate.
Got a job as an English teacher and number four
was taught to write and became a successful writer
at well paying writing jobs.
He was not well read
so I taught him Utopian literature and
he is a long-standing humanitarian.
I had done the best I could
to educate the youngest
of four, so I went on my way.
These days his mentor is his son-in-law
and I heard that one say:
“have a Mc Guinness”, Mr. Minnis.”
With a world of great and noble wine
I have a baby brother
drinkng that swill -called beer.
What a terrible error
to believe that a wine pallet
was in any good gene pool.
Remedial education has been suggested
three years of weekly wine tasting,
but the mentor is skeptical.
Once contaminated by the vile swill
it is hard to save a
Mc Guinness fan.
Doug Minnis
March26, 2011