Bob Richardson

When we were kids . . . polio, the iron lung
that was really frightening.
In these times . . . the age of corona times . . . it has to be really hard on kids.
I'd be scared crazy.

I haven't been a cartoonist my whole life.
it's not even mine to claim.
I paint and I draw, I make stuff.
but I never drew like this until a couple of months ago.
And here's why.

I've never drawn with a pencil.
A charcoal pencil 2B, 4B etc. . . . yes
but they're not pencils
and certainly never with a mechanical pencil.
That's using black out of the tube.
I have lots of sketch books all filled with ink drawings.
If they're good they're good right then.
These mechanical pencils even have little erasers on the tops.

The other reason is . . . these dark times.
Coronavirus by itself is so bad
and then
mix it in with the crazy.

My cartooning comes from a not funny place.
That's kind of what humor owns.
often said, at least by me
there's nothing funny about being funny.

It's the convergence of the mechanical pencil
and these dark times
that I'm finding a voice.

I want to say something about my patriotism.
I've never worn a lapel flag
Waving the flag makes me suspicious
I protested the Vietnam war
but wearing a mask and gloves,
staying home, not furtively
having drinks in my friend's backyard
makes me feel I'm doing something for my community and country.
I wish us all good health.

Bob Richardson lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.