A STORY. 93. AFTER THE PARKING LOT BLITZ

You have survived your first parking lot blitz. Two hours of talking to strangers as they came out of the supermarket loaded with groceries. And there you were with your flier on the horrible law the government was just about ready to implement. Against freedom of speech. Tyranny masked as for-your-protection. Your fellow flier-distributer turned out to be the very old man who sang We Shall Overcome at the Cafe. You both arrived early. He was laughing because it was snowing. You were not in such a good mood about the snow.

It was much easier than you imagined. So many people were coming out of the supermarket that you each went your own way. You asked people if they knew about the proposed law. Except for two people, they didn’t. You asked if you could have a minute of their time. Almost everyone said yes. And almost everyone signed the petition against the law. You found that hard to believe, but that’s the way it was. You ended up with three pages of email addresses to send more information.

You know that another parking lot blitz is happening soon. Against 15-minute cities. You expect you will take part.

But now it’s time for a reward.

A visit to your favorite haunt, the old second-hand bookstore. You remember the last words of Is Love Obsolete, the poem you read last time.

You’ve never thought of love as an old drunk. Have you ever thought of it as a god to revere? Not that either. Without thinking about it, you expected that it would happen and from there, continue. It hasn’t been that way. It did happen. But it didn’t continue. An image comes to mind. A dry riverbed. With a scattering of the bones of long-dead animals.

You sigh.

To be continued . . .
A STORY. 94. HOT CHOCOLATE AND LOVE POETRY
https://elsaiselsa.substack.com/p/a-story-94-hot-chocolate-and-love-poetry

A STORY. ALL THE CHAPTERS ... UP TO NOW
https://elsaiselsa.substack.com/p/a-story-table-of-contents-up-to-now

Posted Nov 24, 2024