The Trouble With Poultry

I stood on the Max Train on a recent warm summer morning, on a day when the temperature would eventually inch up to the high 90s. I shared the platform with the Mayor of Portland, who is my neighbor & an acquaintance. He had a briefcase, a backpack & a cloth satchel bag, each looking pretty darn full. He was standing with eyes closed, seeming to be meditating. As I passed him, he looked up & wished me- "good morning, Stephen". I didn’t want to bother him in any way, but he started the chatting, so I asked him- “does your house stay cool on days like this?”, & the Mayor stated that he shuts his house up when it is hot & that it stays cool until he can get home & open up the windows & doors. He then said- “it is weird though… my chickens keep looking at me like this heat is my fault. I think they really suffer even with the shade & water that I provide for them, but they look at me like they are unhappy”. I paused & then retorted- “Mr. Mayor, I don’t think that you should be guilt tripped by POULTRY”. I moved along, so as not to be a bother & to let him get in a bit more meditating before the train arrived & he started another day of running Portland.

Hiz Honor

This Morning I saw the Mayor of our city riding on his bicycle when I was on my way to the MAX train. Not that unusual a sighting… he lives in my neighborhood. I voted for him, gave money to his campaign & I know him slightly. I served on a committee that he chaired- Keep Portland Moving (2005-07) when he was a city councilman. I would always get to the meeting room at City Hall really early so that I could get the seat next to him. I would write Sam + Steve all over my Pee Chee folder. It was common knowledge, in my circle, that I had designs on becoming the First Lady of Portland (I didn’t know that I was born in the wrong decade). When he rode by, my heart still fluttered & it made me consider… is Sam Adams still hot? I decided to contemplate three other Mayors of major US cities: Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Adrian Fenty of Washington DC & Gavin Newsom of San Francisco. Do you think any of them are hot, or not?