UnZip Code

by Sparrow and illustrations by Mike Dubisch, April 08, 2009

Carlo,
Today a black hawk flew in the sky, and above it a white airplane. In 1705, Peter the Great passed a law forbidding all beards in Russia. Soon the law was amended, however, to allow beards on those who paid a certain tax. The payers of the tax received a "beard-tax coin" proving they were allowed facial hair. I saw one of these coins at an exhibit at the 42nd Street Library, "Russia Engages the World: 1453-1825." It's a brown coin, with an image of a bearded face.

I'm in a Trailways bus to New York City.
I just awoke from an hour's precious sleep. Darkness has wrapped the New York Thruway.
Two men behind me with thick accents are speaking:

"I miss very much the sea. Do you swim?"

"I like...to take fish."

"I also like to fish. You have sharks, where you fish?"

"Sharks? Yes."

"I do not like sharks! They will bite you!"

[They laugh.]

The two men speak without contractions,
like spies in old movies.
Later:

"Are we in New Yersey?"
"Yeah, maybe."

"Heaven is at Gate 68," comes the announcement at Port Authority Bus Station. But when it is repeated, I suspect I misheard.
"Kevin is at Gate 28," I believe, is correct.

Though "Heaven is at Gate 68" sounds true.

Q: What is the difference between

broccoli and a booger?
A: A child won't eat broccoli.

I heard one Barnes & Noble worker tell another the above joke, in the Children's section (82nd Street).

Gandalf's gloves,
Sparrow

Cdfgj Knqvwxyz
This poem uses all the
letters of the alphabet.

Definition
zebraey - resembling a zebra