I have seen some things and along the way accumulated some wisdom. There’s the typical old villager who goes around baldheaded, a man who sticks his nose in other people’s business, offering advice but not practicing it himself. Or there’s the telemarketer who ingratiates himself with the potential customer and makes big promises but ultimately appears to be off-balance. A typical citizen with any experience has seen all this and more. “That’s not all,” I whisper, about the way we look at this and that. There’s got to be more. I contemplate the downtown trends. Friends of mine, those who see clearly, say that I’m extremely good at ferreting out flighty hypocrisies at school, at work, in the family, and in church. And how I synthesize all this with an air that’s still respectful of my father is a mystery: daily shiftings, secret, natural, to avoid stoppage.

Jeff P. Jones
10 06 17