Read On

Bring it with the first line, grab

their attention at the beginning.

Make them wonder what it’s all

about throughout the muddle in

the middle which is so obtuse

they will soon forget. Then, end

with a gotcha, and they just may

retain what you were aiming to

say in the first place. Reader, be-

ware, the hungry lion has escaped.

He roams your neighborhood

searching for prey...This is a

compelling line I use to illustrate.

Tell me more, you say? What

happens next? Does the lion find

meat? Will his next meal involve

me? I will not boar you with all

that happens in the middle as the

drama unfolds. Who cares about

the folks who flee the carnivore's

razor-sharp teeth? Should I further

entice you with the unfathomable

scenario, say his encounter with

the barista at the local Starbucks?

I may indeed string you along to

read on to the stunning development

at the end. Double latte, the lion

ordered. Six bucks? Shocked at

how prices have shot through the

roof, he shakes the scruffy main

which surrounds his head. Growling

and grimacing with a measure of

disgust and displeasure, he reaches

into his hip pocket, discovering he

has left his wallet at home in another

pair of pants. Dear, reader, should you

be seeking a sanctimonious moral to this

story, you probably should have never

read past the first line. While juxtaposed

and contrary to that which I have told,

across town it did turn out to be quite

a lovely day.

Chris Hanch 6-3-18