text: - An Allegory of Registered Sex Offenders in the U.S.
  Terry Brown, The American Chronicle, April 25, 2007
  I just came in from cleaning the pool. While I was doing so a wasp flew
  around looking for a drink. He was minding his own business just going
  about his daily activities trying to survive and not bothering anyone.
  Immediately I became irritated by his mere presence. Unknowingly, he
  carried on his back a reputation created by those few wasps of the
  millions in our airways who have stung a fellow human. Immediately,
  instinctively I wanted to stop him before he had the opportunity to
  inflict that same pain upon me. In my mind his mere presence represented
  a threat to me.
  I used the long reach of my skimmer pole to cast a net over him and
  force him below the water. As I held him there, basking in the glory of
  my ability to control my own destiny by ridding the world of one more
  threat, I noticed several of his brethren flying around also seeking a
  cool and refreshing beverage. After several minutes I decided he must be
  dead, and even if he wasn't it was sort of pointless as there were
  simply too many of them to kill them all. I pulled the skimmer up and
  laid it on the deck of the pool in its usual spot.
  I then laid on my chaise lounge to soak up some rays and enjoy the
  relaxation of the music. I didn't give that insignificant wasp a second
  Just when I started to doze into unconsciousness I felt a sharp pain on
  my foot and looked down to find a dripping wet wasp walking around with
  his wings raised as if in a fighting posture. This wasp had just stung me!
  I said to myself, "hmmm, guess I asked for that." |