The Zoo

My achy legs circled the giraffes today.

The tall one whispered that normally the bamboo strands screen and hold their thoughts.


"This is your life at another year’s end."

Funny, I thought their voice would be higher - a squeaky teen voice streaming from stem throats.

continue


"Yes and another and another; they never seem to end," I spoke from atop the coin operated viewer just to meet eye to eye. Giraffes are especially keen to such direct connections.

"Why are you so down? Sure today is going alright, but you are like these branches: alive but sparse of foliage. You my pal, are in no Eric Estrada mood these days."

"Eric Estrada? Poncherello from Chips?"

"Sorry he was here last week. I just saying you've fallen into a real depression it seems. You've been blogging about your holiday pissiness for months now."

"You're online too??"

"Dude, I'm web 2.0"

"It's not so much I'm in a depression, my weepy layer peels off easier under the holiday bristle. Not the shorter days, not the thunder, nor the rain. I'm from the Bay Area, give me fog every day!"

"Moist concrete mornings and all."

"Yes exactly!" This beast, highlighted with rounded corners, gets it.

"I'm happy go lucky, optimistic to a fault. I'm Los Angeles - 75 degrees in December, but you have to understand, while December’s tail brings child birthdays split by the morning joy of the 25th, some of this weepy wallow is self inflicted.

I'm no New Year’s kiss alone by choice, by fear. I’m stressed by money, annoyed by greed, affected by my father's death on Dec. 20th 1989. Nothing different from years past. Same old, same old, but the lonely part does get lonely sometimes."

I twirl the binoculars to the right to watch over joyous New Englanders swarm the opposite end of the pen, where kid and mom giraffe are eating.

"Ah yes. Those do linger, don’t they?"
Mr. Giraffe starts again with an empathetic smile, "I’ve always believed in new starts for the new year. Little doubt I have on reading about yours this month, so I imagine you’re going to be okay my boy."

"I’m always okay Mr. Giraffe, that’s the way I am. Anyhow the kids are bugging for over priced nachos, I should go." I jump off the peeling green foot stand. "Thank you for listening."

"Anytime Robert. Anytime.
Oh and do me favor and tell Jane we said Hel-lo"