The Chinese Garden

I work very close to the Chinese gardens in downtown Portland OR., and rather enjoy their presence even while never really spending the time to actually go behind the mythic walls. Today I learned that my work provides a free pass to all their employees, so took a brake, went over there and walked around for about 15 minutes. While I walked I thought about ancient samurai and ninjas and the like (samurai are Jappenise ninjas are too, right? Forgive my childish ignorince, I need to be able to make mistakes). I took a deep breath and my heart rate slowed down, as I stepped from the shade of some kind of willow tree and the light of the sun tumbled onto my face. I looked to my left as I walked and saw a large Chines Goldfish with black spots on it, I wonder if it was sick, it nibbled the pond floor and wiggled its fines in a sweeping motion that reminded me of the purr of the pet Ginny pigs back at my work. I thought that this rhythm indicated some special emotional sensitivity that allowed the fish to sense the spirit of the water. As I continued to walk I saw a monkey trees, but didn't remember the name of it so I looked for a info plaque when I found it I couldn't read it, I think it was in Mandarin, but on the bottom left I saw it said Fred Meyer. I felt the persona of an indigent leftist in my gaze. Even the city's Chinese Garden has the stench of corporate sponsorship on it. I exhaled and the cynical attitude subsided, I looked around and saw no other sign of the regional big box grocery store, every thing was beautiful and exotic. Then I thought, if Freddie wants to pitch in to make this place happen then more power to them, maybe in the future corporations won’t bombard us with their esthetic pollution anymore. Maybe in the future all the parking lots will be corporate sponsored gardens. In that future there would still be a monolithic shadow class making all the real decisions, but our daily experience would at least be a little more pleasant, and maybe even considerably more varied. Shore this will spell the a yet more subliminal controlling of our esthetic tastes, but really what leftist institution can offer us more, or esthetic tastes are under many what could be called leftist institutions with out much of a better out come. I say wake up! Enjoy what you can enjoy, and take control of your own tastes and your own senses. And give credit where credit is dew... thank you Fred Meyer! And make the best of what we got.