A homemade video made the rounds of Facebook recently, showing a boy of two years engaging with a piñata fashioned in a vaguely human form, bigger than the toddler. At first he bats at the piñata, but without vigor, and seems to not care when the stick is soon taken from him and handed to an husky older boy. As he is letting go of the stick he is already headed toward the paper-maché man (the caption said it was Spiderman) to wrap him in a long, seemingly apologetic hug, his head on its shoulder.
This was all very sweet, but the response of the crowd of adults surrounding him pained me terribly — they only laughed and laughed. I thought of that scene when I read this poem from Mexico.
PIÑATA
In the night,
while we were asleep,
the birthday piñata
fell out of the tree
like an overripe fruit,
spilling all the candy.
We were happy
we did not have to break it
as it was a yellow lion
in a green hat.
-Jennifer Clement
translated by Consuelo de Aerenlund
from The Tree is Older Than You Are, selected by Naomi Shihab Nye
Gladsome Lights 
Awww, that’s really sweet and sad!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I believe that might be Humpty Dumpty – yes? It reminds me of a paper-maché marionette I made in grade school. All I remember is that she had yellow hair, and was quite a dancer.
The story of the little boy is touching. Perhaps the adults could profit from a reading of the poem.
LikeLike
Yes, it was meant to be Humpty Dumpty. But I made him too well – he was an egg that would not break for anything. I don’t remember what some father had to use eventually to whack him open.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;
Humpty Dumpty just wouldn’t fall.
It took a strong Daddy, so big and so tall
to fin’ly persuade Mr. Dumpty to fall!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw that video – what a tender heart. I pray it stays that way and continues touching others.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So glad to follow your posts..Mine have surely fallen back!
Leslie
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have a wonderful way of thinking about life. And I love your homemade Humpty Dumpty!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A touching story of that little boy. May he not lose his tender heart.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sweet little boy
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw that on FB. I wonder what other vaguely violent cultural customs we have that we will gradually let go of and wonder later how we’d done them.
LikeLiked by 1 person