FRIENDS

Does friendship have to be packaged and bound to the standards of the public?  Who sets those standards anyway?  Is it family, other friends, a community, religion, or just world opinion in general?  If we are truly free thinking beings of body and spirit, it seems we could set our own standards. Does every friend have to be attractively labeled, packaged, and placed on a shelf for the approval and delight of those passing by? -- like grocery products. Maybe I’ll package all my friends in really nice boxes or make them look like those dashing manikin models in the windows… dressed in fine clothing in the latest style!  Yep… that’s what I’m going to do! -- then the world will love and understand all my friends. I’ll be a hit with the world because my friends, the people I associate with, are all attractively packaged in my friend boxes or displayed in windows people like and understand. All my friends are going to have to fit into the friend boxes or friend cloths I’ve already picked… to the standards of the public.  If they don’t fit in any of my boxes or cloths they just can’t be my friend… how could I face the public with friends that don’t fit in stuff they recognize and accept? 

I’m going to package them all right now! One friend, two friends, three friends, four friends, five friends, …. oops… this friend doesn’t fit the box I have picked out.  No problem… I’ll put it out as a manikin.  Six friends, seven friends, eight friends, nine friends, … oops… here’s another that won’t fit in any of my boxes.  Manikin again… but this piece of shit is a little ragged, worn looking, stained, and ripped in a few places.  I sure need this one in a box that is wrapped up really pretty… and one that people can’t easily open.  I sure do want to keep it though… but I’ll have to find a box it will fit in.  When I do I’ll put it in the box and place it in the back of my friend closet. I’ve looked at all my boxes and this piece of shit friend won’t fit in any of them!!  I can’t put it on a manikin for display! -- heaven forbid.   What to do?… what to do?… maybe I’ll just throw this piece of shit friend away. It’s either that or I’m going to have to come up with my own standard for friends… wow.   But I don’t set those standards… or do I ?

Barnum Taylor © 2010