Dear Harvey,
Last Saturday,
I met a kid.
She said, “Let’s putt.”
And so we did.
I met a kid.
She said, “Let’s putt.”
And so we did.
“Dime a hole,”
Said the kid.
Cleaned me out
Is what she did.
Her hands were soft,
Her eyes were brown.
When she took a stroke,
Her ball went down.
She rolled each putt,
So slow and sure.
Each putt was hit,
So dad gum pure.
At every hole,
Her ball went “plop.”
The kid could putt,
And make it drop.
Just a dime,
The offer came
I tried my best,
To win the game.
Twenty bucks,
She took from me.
That kid could putt,
It was plain to see.
The kid, she didn’t
Play a trick.
But man, oh man!
It was over quick.
I thought a while,
About that kid.
And gave some thought,
To what she did.
I decided then,
Though I was hurt,
To learn just why
I’d lost my shirt.
And so I went
To see a pro,
Who said there’s something
I should know.
After listening to
My tale of woe,
He told me, “Partner,
Let it go.”
“Don’t you bend
Your mind a crack.
That twenty bucks
Ain’t coming back.”
I’ll never forget,
What last he said:
“Watch them kids.
They’ll beat you dead.”
“Son, don’t you let
Your skills be bid,
Against the skills
Of a kid!”
“For if you hit it
Long and true,
That ain’t enough
To pull you through.”
“It’s all about
The old flat stick,
It’s the club that makes
The money stick.”
“And, Partner,
Just remember this,
One final truth
No man should miss.”
“It’s split up families,
And broken hearts.
And it ain’t the end,
It’s just the start.”
“For when a family
Hits the green,
Love gets buried
In between.”
“There’s an ancient rule
I’ll relate to you,
Learn it well,
And know it’s true.”
“Legend says no father
Has ever won
A putting contest
Against his son (or daughter).”
It sounded strange
So I asked again:
“Why do kids
Putt to win?”
I asked him why
Kids lay it dead:
He looked at me
And shook his head.
“It’s like this,”
He whispered back,
His squint grew narrow,
His eyes were black.
He looked to see
We were alone,
Then he spoke to me
In measured tones.
“Fear’s a thing
We old men know,
While them young ones
only seem to grow.”
“And fear will eat you
Inch by inch.
It’s what makes
an old man flinch.”
“Them kids ain’t lived
Like you and me.
Partner, they don’t know
How things can be.”
“Them kids, they’ve lived,
And maybe played,
But not enough
to be afraid.”
I’ve thought about
What that old pro said.
And one thought keeps ringing
In my head.
Oh, to know,
There is no fear.
No danger lurking,
Far or near.
I reakon’ that’s why
Youth is such a bliss.
And it’s why them kids
Don’t ever miss.
