She waited for a long time
To get through the line
An old woman
Who had fled
Saint Petersburg
Before it was Leningrad
She was Scandinavian
And now married to another
Who family had come from Kiev
Centuries ago
So long ago
It no longer counts
Finally she was inside the store
Looking for something for her husband
No eggs!
They did not even have any
At all
Again she explained
To these people
Who were not here
Fifty years ago
California was everyone's
Dream to come
And not have a nation
Instead they began
To arrive at the border
Migrants from other areas
Quickly they settled
Into the border community
Which had been European
The International
Language community
They were not even close
To Imperial Mexico
But she was fifty now
And not a young woman
Who just wanted something
For her ailing husband
Who could no longer
Take the cold
He needed the hot waters
For curing his ails
She walked home slowly
He had developed
A series of electric cars
Which ran around in circles
He laughed that way his wife
Was always sure to come back
To him every night!
Old fool
She had fallen in love
As a young girl
And now they had
At least a dozen children
But he kept after her,
He could have had a career
In the military
The Danish army or navy
His family already had served
But he choice
To go west as a young man
And make a difference
With his inventions
Sadly people wanted
Faster vehicles
Than his designs
What did you get me?
Did they have anything edible?
Not like those old days
When there would be good
Russian brown bread
Or exquisite French pastries
Now there were corn tortillas
Served with anything but beans
She could have married anyone
She could have had a big house
And traveled the world
They had actually done that
But the country had gone
Through a bad time
The Great Depression
Now war was brewing
And most of the older ones
Gone to get thier lives.
Cluck, cluck
Dont start clucking dear!
That was not me
She began to say
When he came inside
And found what she had bought
A chicken!
Does it lay eggs?
They say it will
What does it eat?
Rice and corn
Great they can have mine
Hmm, to have a fresh egg....
They didn't have anything
That produces milk?
I did not see a cow
But there were some sheep...
Do they produce milk?
The ladies do when they have
A baby to nurse.
How far back do I have to go?
Tomorrow dear
We will get one of the locals
To take a wagon for you to ride
I dont need no donkey cart!
If we bring back a few ewes...
Later she got on the phone
They arrived
With a shock to the old neighborhoood
How often they had meet
People from different countries
Now it was all so called Spanish speakers
Who did not know english
They found their way
Through the line of customs
Asked if they were bringing
Anything in to Mexico
From America?
What we cant keep
Our personal things?
Not cigarettes
Nor alcohol
No, no they fluttered
Thier hands
They had just gotten
Back from Europe
Which was beginning
To go to war
Whether or not
They knew it.
This was worse than
The Asian markets
There she pointed
With a gloved hand
There they are ....
Each of the daughters
Proudly led into the enclosure
That was left of the former
Estate now reduced
A ewe
Daddy!
We have something for you...
Great! Sheep
I am now going to become
A Sheep farmer!
And under each arm
They also had one chicken
Each.
Three female chickens
To make eggs
For their breakfast!
You will be needing a cock
The neighbor said
In Spanish as he went by
The sisters had gotten
Separated from their husbands
Who had gone to get enlisted
We dont want no man
Except for you daddy
Now I think you might need
A male to get the ladies
To a laying those eggs.
Another phone call
One of the young men
Brought a car
He could still find gasoline
And brought out
A fighting cock!
No, no not a fighter!
We need a husband
For these three ladies...
Hmm, okay
I will go to the market
Tomorrow
And exhange him
A bull fight is where
He found another one
Two fighting cocks!
He got a huge amount
Of money for his cock
After it beat the other one
Brought back just a plain
Male chicken
And a male sheep
As well, he had seen
The old mans ewes
Now they could have it made
Sheep milk cheese
Was something he had not had
In a long time
Wondered how long
He could hang out
Down here
Where there were going
To be fresh eggs
In the morning?
Life has a funny way
Of repeating itself.
I had heard all of the stories
They even told me
That Napoleon
Had lost his battle
With the Russians
Over a single egg!
No eggs for breakfast
No winning smile on his face.
Eggs had sky rocketed
This Pandemic
Was getting out of hand
Those who were not taking
Care of the poor and sickly
Were charging enormous prices
I had to have bottled water
Or I would end up in the emergency room
But eggs?
I stopped buying them.
They did not even have any
In stores for a while
Especially around Easter
They got up to at least
Eighteen dollars a dozen
Seventy percent increase!
Even my omelettes
At a local resturant
Were now double the cost
What was a good cook
To do in Moscow
When there we nor eggs
To be had?
The young man
Had a wife and kids
At home
He did his best
With powder eggs.
His boss laughed about it
He was the head of the country
And could not get a single egg
Out of his chef!
Wait until your grandson
Is the Mayor or something!
And cant afford eggs!
His wife stood in line
The next day for his eggs.
War was hell
But her husband had to keep
His job
Even if it was for Satan
Stalin actually.....
What? What?
The price of eggs
Are now forty percent higher?
He remembered
All those years
When they did not have eggs
At all or if they did
They went to the boss to eat.
He was offended
Having kept them from
The Pandemic
Of all dying in the streets
Now things were over
And they just wanted
Things to be normal
Capitalist progress!
Wonder what the other guy
Has to hear.
No eggs!
Special diet
Must keep his cholesterol
Down or he will end up
In the hospital.
Hell, I bet the other guy...
Doesn't have to put with this,
The White House chef
Was very unhappy
120 dollars
For a case of eggs
It used to cost 40!
And not one of them
Can touch the lips
Of his boss
The President!
She never did tell him
That every day she stood
In a different place
The first time she
Mentioned who the eggs
Were for they began
Throwing them around
She collected the biggest
Mess of them
Shells and all
Found one egg
That had rolled away
Imagine,
They would whether
Destroy them
Than allow them to go
To Soviet leader.
Little does Putin
Realize that no matter
How friendly he is or is not
There is a grumpy
Grandpa sitting down
Every morning to a healthy
Breakfast with no eggs.
And Zelensky
Is going to get his nukes
Anyways.
Churchill had a similar
Problem with the men
From farms
Who wanted to know
Where are the damn Eggs?
Mad them angry enough
To bomb Hitler
Who had his men run
In retreat
From their Russian endeavor
All over the price of eggs
In Moscow!
Damn those Puritans
And everyone else!
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