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Faded Coral

    Hey, everyone. Janis Joplin once said that she was feeling 'near as faded as her jeans'. Nice imagery, for sure. This 30 year old piece of coral from the Bahamas is faded worse than my jeans. It's a souvenir from a very enjoyable trip and not terribly significant, I suppose.
    I understand that it is now illegal to bring things of this nature home with you, which I can certainly understand. Scientists have taught us that ocean reefs are:
1.Living
2. Hugely important to the world ecology.
3. Something to be treasured, rather than being a curio.
     I noticed that 'my' coral has developed some interesting red dots on it. I hope it isn't some alien life form come to take its vengeance for my absconding with a piece of the reef. For that matter, I wonder about the coral itself. I even share a bit of empathy for these tiny creatures.
       I would bet that thirty years ago, this chunk of sea life was going about its business in the wonderful, warm, clear water of an island paradise. It was just hanging, watching a shark swim by, a colorful school of fish fluttering away, whatever. Who was to know that 30 years later they would be doomed to spend their dreary existence inside an old person's house, far away from their beloved ocean? Heck, even the occasional hurricane would be preferable to this. True, the air conditioning feels kind of good and the sounds of video games can be rather cheerful. The empathy of a chunk of coral could certainly be aroused by the fruit in Cover Orange being poisoned by acid rain. Maybe I could develope a video game that features coral trying to survive, rather than oranges. Surely the final ignominy for this chunk of coral is to have its face bandied about on the internet, perhaps for distant relatives to see. The tragedy of the whole thing is a bit depressing.
     Maybe we are like a chunk of coral, laying on the book shelf of some gigantic, powerful being to whom we are insignificant. Maybe it is merely the most monumental case of self aggrandizement to believe that we are truly significant. Yes, in answer to your question, I am in a bad mood today. Yes, I am  "feeling just as faded as my jeans". I can only hope that some 'Bobby will flag a diesel down, just before it rains, and take us all the way to New Orleans'. Otherwise, I may find that I am merely a tiny part of a piece of coral, lying on the shelf, in some giant's green retreat.
    I think I am CE Wills.
P.S. If you want the imagery from the song, check out Me and Bobby Mcgee by Janis Joplin. I'd be willing to bet, she never thought some nut would use it to describe coral and people, 40 years from when she sang it. Adios.
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