PART OF THE SOLUTION

Jim, smoking and watching cartoons on mute, had the radio up too loud. First it was Monk, then Miles, then Diana Ross, then the Raspberries, then the Breeders, then the Idles, then Ivory Joe Hunter, then La Fets and Kitty, then ABBA, then the Orioles, then Kid Koala, then Michael Jackson, then MC Lyte, then Morriarchi, then the Hillbenders, then Alice Reinert, then Jack Green, then Anita O’Day, then UGK, then Andre Williams, then Andrea True, then Jelly Roll Morton, then Merle Travis, then the Quick, then Terry Jacks. Somewhere in there was a song that bothered him. He stood up and turned away from the cartoons. His face was red. He bellowed. “Hey,” he said. “That whole ‘if you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change’ thing goes way too easy on other people.” He knocked his pipe against the edge of the table and had little to say about what fell to the floor.

©2021 Ben Greenman/Stupid Ideas