Chimney Swift
i am confusion
JOPLIN, WA
Independence Day.
Like everywhere else in this country that so closely bordered on becoming a dystopian hellscape, Joplin celebrated this federally-designated holiday with blind patriotic whimsy and spectacle. Overnight, the old pier had transformed into a vibrant street fair. Every square inch of space on the boardwalk was crammed with booths, games, food stalls... things to buy and sell and gamble on and enjoy. The disadvantaged cityfolk of Joplin were thrilled and relieved for the day away from their backbreaking, soul-sucking jobs, so they reveled in the day with every bit as much joy as nearby wealthier metropolitan areas.
If one were to look a little closer at the festivities, though, it would become increasingly clear that this was in fact still Joplin and not Seattle or Tacoma. Drinks in plastic cups and small bags of various substances were discreetly passed from person to person behind the fixtures of the pier. Children ran amok unsupervised, and small groups of young teenagers lurked by booths looking for a chance to pilfer small prizes for themselves.
The air was heavy with the smells of smoke and saltwater and cotton candy, made all the more intense by the oppressive 80-degree heat and the blistering sunlight that had only just begun to set. By the time the early evening cooled off into dusk, though, it would be perfect conditions for fireworks.
Go join in and have fun, why don't you? Just don't leave your drink unattended, get pickpocketed, or fall off the boardwalk and drown.
Like everywhere else in this country that so closely bordered on becoming a dystopian hellscape, Joplin celebrated this federally-designated holiday with blind patriotic whimsy and spectacle. Overnight, the old pier had transformed into a vibrant street fair. Every square inch of space on the boardwalk was crammed with booths, games, food stalls... things to buy and sell and gamble on and enjoy. The disadvantaged cityfolk of Joplin were thrilled and relieved for the day away from their backbreaking, soul-sucking jobs, so they reveled in the day with every bit as much joy as nearby wealthier metropolitan areas.
If one were to look a little closer at the festivities, though, it would become increasingly clear that this was in fact still Joplin and not Seattle or Tacoma. Drinks in plastic cups and small bags of various substances were discreetly passed from person to person behind the fixtures of the pier. Children ran amok unsupervised, and small groups of young teenagers lurked by booths looking for a chance to pilfer small prizes for themselves.
The air was heavy with the smells of smoke and saltwater and cotton candy, made all the more intense by the oppressive 80-degree heat and the blistering sunlight that had only just begun to set. By the time the early evening cooled off into dusk, though, it would be perfect conditions for fireworks.
Go join in and have fun, why don't you? Just don't leave your drink unattended, get pickpocketed, or fall off the boardwalk and drown.
July 4th, 2013