CHARLES HAYES - VOLTAIRE AND SHITHOLE COUNTRIES

Charles Hayes, a multiple Pushcart Prize Nominee, is an American who lives part time in the Philippines and part time in Seattle with his wife. A product of the Appalachian Mountains, his writing has appeared in Ky Story’s Anthology Collection, Wilderness House Literary Review, The Fable Online, Unbroken Journal, CC&D Magazine, Random Sample Review, The Zodiac Review, eFiction Magazine, Saturday Night Reader, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, Scarlet Leaf Publishing House, Burning Word Journal, eFiction India, and others.

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​Voltaire and Shithole Countries

​Today Dr. Pangloss announced his retirement as he stood on the steps of the White House.
"For most of my life I have seen American behavior as it was portrayed from behind an Oz-like curtain. A behavior that has constantly tried to diminished others by pretending to be something grand. I would try to reassure others that there was no reason for alarm. I would point out that such behavior was only a building block on the road to a better world---that by such behavior we were assuring that buckets of uncertainly were being extinguished from the minds of others. I maintained that by allowing them to become confused and question the "truth" they would, a bit more move."
The good Doctor suddenly paused, seemed to choke, and tore off his bandanna. After wiping his eyes, he raised the clenched rag. The features of his face morphed from one of sincerity to one of firmness. It reminded me of the visage of a young Castro riding a tank into Havana. It was neither hard nor soft. It simply was.
As he tossed the bandanna and let his eyes water, he made his lasting point.
"Today glory be, rejoice!!! My work is done, it is done. IT is the best of all possible worlds!!!"
My my. Take another little piece of my heart now baby.