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Lady Liberty
Need a tax preparer ? Well , take a hint from Lady Liberty, she knows the place . The company deserves credit for this ingenious marketing ploy , using the American symbol to promote business ; heralding in the new tax season by hiring anyone crazy enough to dress up like the Statue of Liberty . You discover them , performing near a busy intersection , waving to every motorist , captivating every adolescent onlooker , dressed in a green-colored gown , holding a torch, emblazoned with the company logo , topping off the outfit with a plastic halo of radiating spikes . I turn away from them when I’m driving . Why encourage the shameless display ? The company draws from the large pool of drunk or destitute applicants and you’ll never see a woman in the ranks . Add to it the shouting and animated gestures and it becomes hard to imagine that underneath the costume you’d find a descent member of society just trying to make a few bucks .
But the funny thing was , yesterday , Lady Liberty saved my life , well almost.
I sat in my car at the traffic stop ignoring the pantomime on the sidewalk when I noticed Lady Liberty approaching my car . Normally, I would have averted my gaze and sped off without acknowledging him , but the long line of cars halted my progress. I sat aloof and protected behind the glass as he came closer , his thin plastic robe was blowing wildly in the wind . He gestured with his hand for me to roll down the window and after some hesitation I complied . I could see the frustration in his eyes as he approached the car , annoyed at the length of time it took me to respond . I expected him to utter a desultory phrase about the company but Instead he explained in a stern voice that the license plate on the rear of my car had expired .
“You know the police will stop you and tow your car with an expired plate “, he said .
I remained skeptical but began to imagine the repercussion of his statements . Unable to muster a reply I slowly nodded my head then drove home and parked the car until I could verify the information . Just as Lady Liberty had pointed out , my registration had expired ,and it would take me the rest of the day bouncing from office to office to fix the problem . It was a costly mistake, after paying delinquent parking tickets and new application fees , the process finally concluded at the Registry of Motor Vehicles hours later.
So now I’m trying not to be judgmental.
There’s no need to ridicule those talented street performers . When I drove by the corner today I witnessed a jubilant group of hard working individuals . I studied the faces of these men who were attempting to make the best of a difficult situation , offering a little extra to an adoring public .
Invincible
When you're invincible the doorbell always rings and you're never alone . Your stature guides you...it's everything ...like when the clerk never questions you when you return items that you bought months ago and without surprise you are leaving the store armed with lots of free stuff .
You are respected by your peers .
When your wife drops an object in the sink and jambs the garbage disposal an hour before your guests arrive ,you launch into hyper -plumber mode and after a few turns of the broomstick , dislodge the bottle cap from the drain.
You respect life .
The ground hog that was allowed refuge under the porch rears up on its hind legs eating the stale bread and peanuts that you threw out in the snow.
You are compassionate.
Without hesitation you move out into the street toward the hysterical woman who is chased and beaten about the head in plain view . Although the man doesn't understand your language, he stops hitting her because he knows you are invincible.
You accept your fate.
When your kidneys failed ,you confronted the inevitable . After the operation, you realized that a family member had secretly donated an organ so that you could live, ...because you are invincible .
Bob Tomolillo began his career during the burgeoning of the print workshops in 1970. He worked at Impressions Workshop in Boston and at The Printshop in Amsterdam Netherlands. He holds a B.F.A. from Umass, Amherst, and an M.F.A. from Syracuse University. A faculty member at the F.A.W.C. in Provincetown, Mass. and a member of the Boston Printmakers since 1983, his lithographs are included in collections here and abroad. In 2009 he was the co-winner of the Dayton Peace Museums International Peace Prize. He has written articles on printmaking with a feature in the Print Alliance Journal Art and Politics and recently contributed his writing to Literal Minded, Orange Alert ,Shine Journal ,Askew Reviews, Glossolalia ,Blinking Cursor, Bap Q, Lunarosity, Icelandic Review, Words Undone, Writers Billboard, First Writers Magazine, Milspeak, Subterranean Journal, South Jersey Underground, Cavalier Magazine, Yellow Mama, Visual Overture, Vox Poetica,and Spilling Ink Anthology.
Email: Bob Tomolillo
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