Leech This

"For men tied fast to the absolute, bled of their differences, drained of their dreams by authoritarian leeches until nothing but pulp is left, become a massive, sick Thing whose sheer weight is used ruthlessly by ambitious men. Here is the real enemy of the people: our own selves dehumanized into ''the masses.'' And where is the David who can slay this giant?"

- Lillian Smith

I was gardening, and as I pulled out a bunch of grass and other weeds from near one of our little popnds, I felt and then saw something on my finger. That something was browny and yellowy and slimy and fuuuuuuuuh! shake it off!* - but the damn thing was stuck fast. Eventually I did shake it off, and picked it up with my weeder to get a better look. It was the weirdest thing: one thick end stuck fast and the other waving about in the air. Once I put it down it moved in the oddest way too: it kept the fat end stuck fast, stretched out the skinny end, grabbed on, then let go at the back, letting itself be pulled forward. Weird damn thing.

A leech, I found out. Not the big burrow in and feed on blood sort, but still: a leech. Kind of ewww. ;-)


* I don't mess about with anything in this country I don't recognise ;-)