Days pass. At all levels of life and physical beingness I feel relentlessly assaulted. Lambasted is my new word for what I am experiencing. Minute by minute, second by second, drip, drip, drip, the “cacophony of entropy”. This is my description of today's environment. It gives one a sense of depletion and relinquishment. Inevitability. I read once that cockroaches were here when mankind first made an entrance and they will be here when we make our exit. I’m not sure what that says about these creatures, but I know most people find the insects quite distasteful, even though there are cultures that roast them as delicacies.One person's "ick" is another's delight. Diversity gives so much and asks so little. Therefore, in spite of the assault, like a cockroach I will remember I was here before chaos started and I will be here when it exits.

This particular cockroach, or “la cucaracha”, is a gift for a friend. She spends a good portion of her time at rallies, protests, and carrying a torch for the republic up and down the east coast of our great country. The original cucaracha was a surprise mural that captured mine and my two friends attention on a trip to Mexico several years ago. It was a gift on a wall that we found as we strolled through flower laden neighborhoods. One of my friends fell in love with the cockroach. She asked if I could paint it for her. I have put off doing the painting for several years. At one point I suggested she might need better friends if she was expecting that painting any time soon. However, the time has come. It is now. My respect for her commitment to our country had me tackle the painting for her. It is finished. It will be shipped soon. I can’t fix the chaos and I can’t stop entropy, but I can paint a cockroach for a friend. I can do this.