".it was the age of foolishness."

Our neighbor
from Southern California
feeds raccoons so they will not
eat her cat's food;
which they do anyway

She spends much of her
day chasing her dogs -
pomeranians or a poodle mix
She is not alone;
another neighbor constantly
calls her dachshunds

A sizable portion
of the local population
goes out in the rain
without a hat or umbrella
Every season the local news
reports few of us own the latter.

Christmas day I asked
our guests who got a flu shot;
only my wife and I had
Their reasons included the swine flu
to some time in the past when
the shot may have made them sick

I read two daily newspapers
and one free weekly,
watch the local news and CNN,
listen to talk shows
on the radio and cable,
monitor internet news

I could tell you enough
to keep you awake
for days on end,
if not weeks or months

But then who would be the fool?