I Need Cocoa- Extra Marshmallows

Our Kites are back.

Mississippi Kites- a pair of medium sized raptors that generally don't nest in this area nest HERE, on our place, every year. I heard them first, calling to me as I crossed the bridge, then when I came out into the open they lazily soared above me, their shadows walking next to mine, till I entered the barn and they rode the wind currents to a big tree at the top of the hill. From there they supervised the feeding of the livestock- new to them, as they migrate South every winter.

They're curious, and bold, and tail us around the place conspicuously. When one is tending the eggs or babies, the other still dogs us and reports back to the nest vocally.


And I breathed deeply and thanked the Universe for the sight of them, pushing away the images on the television of people yelling, screaming, rioting not in Egypt or Libya, but in WISCONSIN for pity's sake. Revolting against bad judgment, bad choices, bad government, bad bad bad crazy bad things that are being done to FORCE the hand of the populous, in a show of might, and power, and callousness.

I fear for those people- all it will take is ONE hasty move, ONE gesture of frustration, and I'm so afraid it will turn into something that will never be able to be undone.

On my way to work- a commute that takes me literally over the river and through the woods- everywhere I look in all directions things are blooming. Wild daffodils, early coreopsis, fields of violas, redbud trees knitted together with wild pear trees blanket the entire landscape with a quilt of pink and white.

And I breathed deeply and thanked the Universe for the sight of them, pushing away the article read this morning telling of the horrible cruelty visited on a child in our area- a story not in the local news, but posted in the New York Times- my heart breaks for that little girl and hardens to a sharp brittle blade towards the perpetrators and neighbors and community- all guilty, and all remorseless.

Something is happening all around us, something evil- though the invoking of God's name is making things worse, more divisive- not better.

Prices go up, jobs go down. Politicians promise, then turn a deaf ear to those who elected them.

Instead of the worldwide web opening our minds, they are slamming shut at an amazing rate of speed. Polarization, not globalization. We're so afraid of losing what little we're in control of that our enemies must be small, and anonymous, and cartoonish in dimension.

Easy targets. No gray areas.

But here's the thing.

A discussion I just had the other day. Those who know us know exactly who I was talking to, and for those who don't, lets just say he's a beloved and respected and immediate family member...

"I see what you're saying, but those liberals are all anti-gun, and want us all disarmed. I'm a right-wing conservative for the most part because my 2nd Amendment rights are of great importance to me and our country. Frankly, I don't care who wants to marry who. If the gays at the Gay Pride Parade carried signs showing that they agree with 2nd Amendment rights, there's not a gun owner in the world that'd have a problem with them".

"So...even though the majority of right-wing politicians are violently anti-gay rights, the majority of right-wing voters don't care who you're in love with as long as their personal right to own firearms isn't infringed on?"

"Yep".

"So...why wouldn't it follow that just because the majority of left-wing politicians are anti-gun, doesn't mean that the majority of left-wing voters are? Even the ones who AREN'T gay".

"Goddamn it, I'm not talking politics with you anymore".

Terrify and plant hatred.

Arouse suspicion and point fingers.

Divide and conquer.

Mother Nature will go on. The Kites will migrate and nest. The trees and flowers will bloom in the spring, year after year quietly and without fanfare as they have for time immemorial. That's the anchor I hold onto. And I hold tight with all my strength to my family. Including the right-winger.

All this other mess? Scares the ever-lovin' shit outta me. Because it's a train wreck- it's been building for decades and years and now it's here.

Look around. We don't play well with others or each other, and we're terrible stewards of the planet.

We're parasites and we're fixin' to be shaken off like fleas off a dog.

Human beings share 99% of their DNA with chimps. Not gorillas. Chimps. And that's a shame. Gorillas are strong, peaceful, gentle souls.

Chimps eat their own young, fight each other viciously and spend alot of time throwing their own shit at each other and their neighbors.

*sigh*