Don’t be a Guberif

by Gino Sky

(GUBERIF: firebug spelled backwards.
Painted on Idaho roads during the 40’s & 50’s.)

for my daughters — Nichole & Maggie

“Don’t be a guberif!” I would tell
at my daughters — a reminder
to let them know
that I was close
to losing it.

“What does that mean?”
friends would ask.

“Oh, that’s Idaho Yiddish.”
I would reply with authority.

“Loosely translated,
It means little devil firebug.”

Accepted without question,
I would continue . . .

“I’m surprised you haven’t
heard it before. It’s way beyond
Mashuganah. Actually, it’s
beyond translation.”

I was never challenged,
which undoubtedly gave
me the freedom to continue on
to bigger and better stories.

I’m amazed my daughters have turned
out as normal as they have
considering
the burden of imagination
they had to grow up with.

At times, I even believed
that I had gone
too far. That there was no reality
in their lives. Only make–believe
covered over with fantasy,
and they would end up like their father.

“Tell the truth!” I begged.

“Why,” they responded, “you never do.”

“That’s different, I’m a writer.”

“Is that why we never have any money?”

It was a tough lesson
and I tried hard to turn myself around.

Aesop’s fable was right.
There was no happy ending
for the happy–go–lucky grasshopper.

But then, exoneration day arrived,
when I overheard my oldest daughter
yell at the five year old boy
she was kid sitting.

“Nathan . . . don’t be a guberif!”

“What does that mean . . . ?” her boyfriend asked,
at the picnic
we were having
at the Portland Rose Garden.

“Oh, I’m surprised that you haven’t
heard of it before . . . ,” she replied with
unabashed authority. “It means asshole in Yiddish.”