The Caption (a Waking Memory)

 

I awoke this morning still sleepy-eyed

and groggy, yet with a thought in mind.

I wished I had pen and paper bedside

for surely awakening from my dream state,

I would not remember.

I kept repeating my idea in the hopes that

I would make it through dressing, the

necessary bathroom visit, taking my morning

meds, pouring coffee, and waiting for my

computer to go through its start-up mode.

I can’t believe I made it that far retaining

both thought and word.

Was it so important that I remember?

Surly in my time I have lost more

memorable thoughts. Why this, I asked,

heaven knows?

Well, here goes. I used to draw a lot.

Many of my works were cartoons, you

know, funny or weird things I saw or

which came to mind. Well, no longer

do I have that wondrous luxury. At

76-years old I have developed several

maladies which are part-and-parcel

with aging, one of which are tremors.

I can barely hold anything in my hands

(let alone pen and pencil) without shaking.

No longer am I able to draw.

Well, my thought this morning was a

caption for a cartoon, words which I

thought would make a great cartoon.

(I did, however, think it would be

humorous on the basis of the words

alone.)

Now folks, this is no game-changer,

mind you, no million dollar pot of

gold, but some other from which

one might conjure up a cartoon in

their own mind.

So, at no cost, I share this caption with you.

Silly of me I know, but for what it’s worth,

here goes…

“Over at the Worlds’ Fair, the Mexican kiosk,

Orfel and his Martian friends mused that

they would prefer to have a slice of Jose, the

proprietor, rather than his soggy enchiladas.”

Hell folks, even if you didn’t get a chuckle

with that vision as I did, at least I got this

writing said and done today. Ha! And with

that, shaky hands and all, I shall press on.

                             -30-

Chris Hanch 5-9-2023