Hard Times, a History

Take a look at history. It’s littered with

hard times from the beginning. Even the

Greats were not immune. I could mention

Beethoven, Hemingway, Pollack, Kennedy

and King. What about Helen Keller who

was born blind and deaf? Even she would

scoff at your pity. Consider the guy or gal

next door. Coal miners, soldiers, boxers and

whores alike have had to make the best out

of the hands they were dealt. But, you dear

reader, yes even you have a story to tell.

There were days when all I could count on

for relief were cigarettes or booze. I couldn’t

begin to tell how many doctors I have seen

who scolded me, told me that I needed to quit.

Those vices will surely send you to an early

and wretched grave. These days, I ask them

how old they are? Oh, forty-five or so they

may tell me. And my reply to them, I lit my

first cigarette twenty years before you were

born. I got drunk on scotch at fifteen, and

things only intensified as the years piled

on. And besides, graves aren’t as hideous

as some purport them to be. It’s mostly the

getting there which provides all the misery.

I, for one, prefer cremation anyway. It’s

cheaper, cleaner and environmentally safe,

or so they say. Toss my ashes anywhere.

See if I give a care.

Chris Hanch 7-3-18