Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe
Today, on my morning commute, I drove past what appeared to be a huge yellow teddy bear sleeping in the freeway median. It had an arm tucked under its head as a pillow and the legs were crossed, and I think it was smiling. I’m almost sure of it.
But, I drove by so quickly I can’t really be sure of anything. Maybe it wasn’t even there. If it had not been the early stages of rush hour making it difficult to get all the way over to the right to exit I would have gone back for another look. Now, I have to wonder, did I imagine it?
Of course, lately, I have been wondering that a lot.
When the president of the United States says, with all the indignation he can muster, (and he can muster plenty), that windmills cause cancer? You have to wonder if you heard that right. Did he just say windmills cause cancer?
Or, did I dream that?
I looked it up, and am pretty sure he said it. Though I can’t find any place where he references even an artificial study, a made up research project, even a biblical reference. He just said it.
Then, I heard he asked Kirstjen Nielsen for her resignation. She was not being persuasive enough. Her practice of ripping children from their families and locking them in cages was too soft. It seems he thought the caravans from central America (those other “Mexican countries”) were tromping through Mexico, short on food, water, medicine and hope to sign up for Ms. Nielsen’s day care camp. You begin to imagine Cruella DeVille being announced as the new Secretary of Homeland Security.
I learned a long time ago that reality was much weirder than anybody’s imagination.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free
~Hunter S. Thompson
I hope the yellow teddy bear is still there tomorrow. I hope we can find a safe alternative power source. I hope Kirstjen Nielsen gets rid of the extra consonant in her first name, it really makes it hard to spell. And I hope I’m not just dreaming all these things.
Or maybe I should hope I am.
—