Empty Vessels

By José Cañusí

They say at the core of every man lay an empty vessel.

Pedro fills his with money. José fills his with religion. Ernesto pours alcohol into his.

Claudio stuffs his core with self-admiration.

Turns out Pedro’s vessel is too small to hold all his money, so he gives his leftover cash to José, who always exudes the type of inner peace Pedro so covets. (Plus, he can get a tax write-off.)

José secretly craves Ernesto’s decadence.

Meanwhile, Claudio assumes they all envy him. (He’s right, of course.)