Shanghai Slimmed

This morning I awoke, sick and disgusted with what we’ve endured as of late courtesy of the presidential campaign. Before I could even get out of bed a more deeper profound disgust settled in when it dawned on me just what a horrible species we’ve become, seemingly doing our best to bring on extinction by every means necessary.
Humanus walkus erectus is truly the scourge of the earth. We, as a race, should be ashamed, repentant, but we’re far too arrogant and self absorbed to be concerned with the big picture, so we continue to malign and pollute and mangle and destroy -all under the name of manifest destiny- everything and anything that stands in the way of this maniacal greed run afoul.
Even last night I listened in horror as two really good friends of mine got crossways due to their differences in opinion of what our country stands for. Next thing I knew the words grew more personal, plumb rancorous and dagnasty, and then came the inevitable, “Come on outside so I can kick your ass!” ...Goodness gracious. Hava nagela. Holy bubba... Instead of relishing a lively debate amongst friends breaking bread, we’ve been reduced to screaming meemies over some ridiculous ass behavior that just recently got mandated. And our leader is gonna bring us together? ...Yeah.... this coming from the fucker who took an irrevocable bad left turn and refuses to admit mistakes, leading us deeper into madness, the ever growing rift more virulent by the day. Yeah, sure he’s gonna galvanize the world! Blow the fucking whole shebang to smithereens is more like it.
Not wanting to get into a purple funk over all this recent squabble and fuss, I tooled it over to my favorite outdoor tacqueria, needing some comfort in which I find in their pollo delights.
I sat at the picnic table and unwrapped my first taco. The first bite let me know I was at the right place, just what the doctor ordered. Before I could swallow the delicious mouthful of char grilled chicken smothered in onions, cilantro, and lettuce, swaddled in a corn tortilla, drizzled in a verde sauce, I noticed a group of sad looking birds standing in a semi circle, staring at me intently. Seeing that I’d taken notice of them, the birds gathered even closer... and then it hit me. As much as we’ve killed and maimed and fucked each other over with alarming regularity over the centuries, we’ve also fucked with mother nature too, doing our best to destroy the very thing that gives us life, and here stood yet another sad example! These birds, these vital creatures who’ve also existed on this planet for centuries, were now reduced to mere beggars, forgetting their very purpose and reason for living. Their very essence compromised by our endless wanton, mindless, corruption.
It was all I could do to finish my meal.
This world is in some sorry ass shape. Violence begets violence and we’ve now entered into a brand new religious war, and it ain’t gonna get any better anytime soon. When are we gonna learn? We’re probably not. We are on a collision course with extinction. As it probably should be.
The meek shall inherit the earth, and then, maybe then, the beautiful, harmonious ballet of nature will return. And maybe, just maybe, the offspring of these lost birds will emerge from the sad hollow existence we’ve forced upon them. Those poor birds who’ve forgotten who they are.
A dark cloud stole the sunshine.
You know it’s a bad day when even a righteous get down taco can’t take you away from the omnipresent skullduggery.
I continued to eat, bombarded by a corderie of sirens that shredded the peace and quiet, the squall of crack heads fistfighting on the corner, my food turning to sawdust. And the birds just stood there. Pitiful fucking things. Dead birds begging.