the toucan sat on his perch at the zoo

dark round berries in a pan at his feet

he took each one in the tip of his bill

and threw his head back

and most of the berries were lost to the ground

I watched him about half an hour or so

he tilted his head at each berry that fell

picked up some more and lost most of them too

and after Muhammad Ali passed away

I thought of that bird and his pan and his perch

I did not understand until after he died

how brave Ali was

or how much it cost a black man in that time

to stand up and say to the powers that be

I can’t fight for a country that won’t fight for me

he was a face I saw on TV

a toucan that smiled on a cereal box

but time has a way of tilting your head

and making you see things all over again

and I see a man now who was pretty and proud 

We're in an America based on tabloid news, underground comix, 1970s trash culture, Jack Chick Tracts, Mad magazine, and what Fox News viewers likely think kids these days are up to. The geist is very 70s, blended with present-day and 1990s elements. In short it's a story that could only take place in a comic book, and one NOT intended for children. It features a small army of small town characters, including writer/artist Rick Altergott's most notorious

KLOR’BEEX: Coming to you live from the hot happening hub of the galactic center, this is Klor’beex Of The Stars, with a very special guest, everyone’s favorite – or least favorite – battle fleet admiral, the most recent immigrant from Earth by multiple millennia, Mister Laser Wolf the Butcher! Why don’t you say hello to the galaxy, Admiral Butcher!

LAZAR WOLF: