IN THE HEARTLAND

Ah this is the wonderful land. It is the place where people plant the desires of their heart. And believe me what grows there is a lot different than roses.

I know because when I've seen it what grows in peoples' hearts is a whole lot of other stuff than flowers. Weeds, thorns, thistles and generally all the garbage we like to claim smells great, but it doesn't.

In any event we do try to aspire to be good gardeners. Um, I suppose I should say that I do. That is as a politician. It is my ambition to be sure I always visit the heartland of people. Only problem is that this gets to be difficult at times when people don't always admit to where they heartland is located.

See the reality is there is the heartland that people love to claim is there permanent address. It sounds great, looks great with its fresh coat of whitewashed illusion, but in reality they don't actually live there.

Instead they left a mannequin with a tape recorder to guard the joint and make it seem like it was a good deal, but instead they prefer to spend time as that little bar with access only at some alley. That is a metaphor naturally. I'm not speaking of it literally, even if it sounds like it.

Anyway, I love to pretend right alone with the person that they place they visit and called their heartland is as perfect and credible as they claim. It does sound good, but doesn't actually apply.

Overall, I consider this to be a good thing, providing you can recognize the landscape and deal with it accordingly. There are no maps, not instructions one can follow, just a gut instinct and the sense of knowing if something looks good and stinks it isn't a reality.

The one nice thing though is how I can add to the joy by spreading my own level of fertilizer that allows me to savor the joy of letting that stink overpower the other stink. It really does make the whole process such a blessing to me.

Meanwhile, life plots along with a predictable sense of stupidity. I don't recommend one take the usual advice and stop to smell the roses since with this kind of heartland they will probably be fake.

Is that a bad thing? Not to me. I just savor the moment in my own way. Oh it does weave its way into each speech I give. I love paying tribute to people's heartland.

Not the real one, but the one they claim is their heartland. When you help in any way to promote their delusion they always love you for it.

And there is no way to feel any joy better than comes from gardening where it involves a heartland. At least to me it will always be a source of joy. Which is the best fertilizer imaginable.