SAY NO TO SUDDEN OASES
'Four-leaf clovers decimated by drought.'
I could swear I read that somewhere, but
it's not true and I didn't. There are Chinese
strips on that little guy's face, reflected
light from the building next door. Sure looks
funny though. And the way they all walk.
I've been in two hilly places where the Chinese
people walked funny : Ithaca, climbing up
to Cornell; and, for sure, San Francisco.
There's really no reason for it all; no one
binds feet anymore. I did see that once too.
That was about 1971, and the poor woman,
I'm guessing she was 70, was, apparently,
a veteran of those old days when they bound
up womens' feet. They grow and mature into
this little clumped heap, maybe like a fist, but
then they're stuffed into something like a show
made for bound-up feet; and the sure result
is a bizarre, wobbly walk. A half-step at a
time, too, it seems. I don't know why people
were ever like that, or ever thought like that.
The best I can say is 'don't do it.' If someone
offers you paradise, or a better, perfect world:
Say no to sudden oases, and keep your feet
unfurled.
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