Mark asked, “What’s your name?”
My son looked at him with a sparkle in his eye,
This was going to be a fun game,
“George. If you ask me again,
I’ll tell you the same,”
My son was smiling and having some fun,
I couldn’t see how that would hurt anyone,
But Bill took exception and looked Richard in the eye,
“You’re going to hell for telling a lie,”
I was shocked at Bill’s words for they were so strong,
Did he really believe that teasing was so wrong?
Bill turned to Mark and quickly said,
“I think you’d better head on to bed,
It’s Christmas Eve, did you forget the date?
Santa won’t come if you’re up too late!”
“I’m sorry, dad, Mark whispered (because he truly believed).
Santa was still coming, Mark was so relieved,
Fantasy was one thing, and truth was another,
Bill’s perception of lies was between one and the other,
Despite Bill’s protests I left in a huff,
Friend or no friend, I’d heard enough,
On the way home I explained to my son,
“Our words should not be used to hurt someone,
Respecting others is one of our goals,
I don’t care if you believe in the North Pole,
A Christmas Fairy with a magic wand,
The Magic Kingdom or deer that can fly,
Is that all in fun or just telling lies,
Allowing others to dream and have some fun,
Why should we want to hurt anyone?
Santa is a fun story to tell to the young,
To see their eyes light up when stockings are hung,
When you were teasing I didn’t think there was harm,
Especially for Bill to shout an alarm,
I’ll be expecting Bill to apologize,
Unless he can prove that reindeer fly,
Otherwise he was the one telling a lie.”
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