A few days ago, a mockingbird announced itself. As with all such flamboyant birds, this dandy is determined to mate. It's his life's work. He’s taken up residence across the street - on the telephone wire strung by the tennis courts. He perches near the early migrating ospreys that nest on lampposts around the courts. A standout, he will not be ignored.
From our condo's third-floor balcony walk - at eye level with the wire - I whistle to the mockingbird. This brazen interruption of his mission baits him to mimic me, then launch into a riff, as snazzy a dude as a jazz horn player.
High Notes
Off he trills, executing an aural Cirque du Soleil. I admire such virtuosity coming from a 1.8 ounce creature. Mockingbirds can perform up to 50 call notes. With every note, they show themselves to be the real deal. The resident bird pauses, as if daring me to match his flair.
Given my fraudulent whistle, I hang my head and stand corrected.
Being reminded of our limitations as mere mortals is a daily exercise. Yet, when I hear an imposter threatening my world, I am as ardent as a bird on a wire.
Low Notes
No matter how appalling his performance, the imposter in the Oval Office will never hang his head. He will twitter on, exercising his thumbs and inciting mayhem. The double-downer is certain to go low.
Although I suffered his 120+ interruptions during the first debate with a real deal of a leader, I sat out the second, lie-packed encounter. Weeks ago, I voted by mail. My ballot for Biden was duly counted. Yes!
Telling Notes
It pays to resist despair since great Americans never abandoned their sworn duty to expose the imposter. They are legion. But, keep your guard up about his armed, unhinged supporters. Unlike Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Colonial heroes, the 2020 militia wields assault weapons, not single-shot muskets.
Who knew pistol-packing supporters lurk close to home? On October 22, a local news item reported one episode. Armed guards, claiming they worked for Trump's campaign, showed up at a St. Petersburg polling location. Just down the road a piece!
Sounds bizarre, especially when the Republican sheriff (running for re-election) said some voters were "comforted" by the armed-presence. He said the guards broke no law standing 150 feet from the door. That's ... comforting? And, the campaign said it did not "hire" them. Why pay when at every super-spreader rally Trump directs his patriots to go watch the polls.?
The Wire
On October 1, The Atlantic reported Trump's lies about the coronavirus. On October 16th the Editorial Board of The New York Times threw everything the newsroom’s got at this menace. They have the best words. Words that paint a thousand pictures. Pictures worth a thousand words.
The Frayed Wire
Biden for Florida's Digital Team guides volunteers in daily rounds of truth-telling and countering disinformation online. These whip-smart (mostly) young women give me hope in the future. With 52% of voters trusting news that pops up in Facebook’s unfettered feeds and a combined 26% checking Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, I applaud the effort as time well spent.
Courting Death
America's been through the wringer and deserves better than 224,000 deaths, more than 120,000 reportedly avoidable. Experts fear the daily national case count in coming months will rise to 100,000.
Yet, the Supreme Court and state counterparts uphold restrictive voting laws during a pandemic of a virus transmitted in the air, in essence supporting Trump's brand of eugenics for voters.
At the same time, conservative courts push to preserve life from the murky moment of inception. It defies logic. The courts are, as Joe Biden said, "out of whack."
Sound of Life in Minutes
Yes, we need a break. Reminders of beauty, creativity and excellence. Consider setting aside the minutes (8:15) needed to hear the Noordpool Orchestra's soaring Weird Fishes in a Radiohead Jazz Symphony.
If that seems way too long, maybe use the time to reflect on the eight + minutes a police officer kept his knee on the neck of George Floyd, a Black man, killing him and outraging millions.
High Wire Act, a poem (1997)
Life was simpler when I wrote this 43-second poem. It still rings true. We humans cannot sing like mockingbirds; but we have agency. We recognize an unreal deal when we hear it and can dare to alert our friends. We can vote.
Audio Player
Osprey attending a mockingbird performance