Men, Cats and Ants

[Vung Tau, 5/27/25]

Before the internet, we didn’t just look and listen more carefully, we could remember better. If I wanted to cite a fact or quote someone, I had to remember it. Now, we can ask the internet.

Sitting on a park bench under a lamp next to a tree at 3:25AM, I don’t have that option. I’m this morning’s first customer at a café that can’t be more primitive. The old lady is just setting up. About the only sounds I hear are steady crickets and, occasionally, a gecko. Solitary motorbikes do drift by. Cocks are still asleep. Most importantly, there are no cellphone news from annoying customers. My own phone has no internet. I bring it along only for audio or photo note taking.

Don’t shoot me if I get a few facts slightly off. Of Trump’s West Point speech, much was made of his rambling about trophy wives and “one of the world’s biggest yachts,” but his statement about bringing democracy to the rest of the world “at the point of a gun” was equally noteworthy. The next day, Trump said Harvard students can’t add 2 to 2. Even his dumbest supporters can do that without staring forever at their fat fingers. America’s greatest president is just so used to saying whatever pops into his head at any moment. Seeing a TV show on Alcatraz, Trump announced the next day it should be reopened because law and order was needed. With eggs so cheap, America’s sidewalks must be lined with broken shells, spilled yolks, used syringes and torn lottery tickets. Mindful of sensitive ears, I didn’t say shit.