Dear Italy

The Wise Man told me
"If there's something you are lacking
Give it to the Earth and it shall return to you in turn."
Before I left
He gave me a candle.
He'd like many more candles.
I skulked off, towards the leaking Basement I call home.
It smells of sewage but I don't mind.
In the kitchen, a sandwich was made
By my very own hand.
It had: ham, lettuce, mayo, tomato, and bread.
White. Not Wheat. Not Rye.
I wrapped the Sandwich in paper towel
and wrapped the paper towel in my finest wrapping paper.
Snoopy. Christmas Edition.
I set off in a dark night towards some semblance of civilization.
None could be found.
I spotted a lonely Oak instead.
I put the sandwich in a hole that held shiny objects.
"For my friends the Raccoons"
I walked home.
I haven't eaten since
How would I?
I don't even know where to begin.
I'm now a raccoon.

"Hello Heidi! Hello Joel!" from Jeff LaPenna on Vimeo.

I received this video greeting from Jeff the Pen, our wayward sergeant in arms, who's spending his pre-RV stint in Italy, teaching kids English in theatrical form. I was warmed by the greeting. I know Jeff regales them with stories of our friendship. I do the same to the figures in my life: the dog, the cat, the man in the crawl space. They like to hear about my friends. Zeke the cat is softened by tales (tails) of adventure although he has trouble telling the difference between "fun" and "adventure". I tell him not to bother.

I decided to respond to the kids in turn. Of course I took the opportunity to slander Heidi via video collage.

FOR THE KIDDIES from Joel Walkowski on Vimeo.