My first leather jacket was vinyl.
A bomber, probably inspired by Catch-22,
long before I read it.
Maybe Airplane, now that I think about it.
That makes more sense.

It lasted for about a year and a half.
The jacket got shredded by the environment eventually.
Vinyl doesn’t last, but only petrochemicals died for it,
so there’s that.

After that, I wanted another bombardier jacket,
but this time made of real live suffering animal.
I waited years, and then no longer cared for that style.

It took some more years to find interest
in a biker jacket,
which I got for about thirty dollars
at a point where that was a ridiculously good deal.
It was far too good a deal.

The jacket was leather,
but I wouldn’t dare to wonder what kind of animals it was made from.
Maybe rat skins?
It took longer to fall apart that my original bomber,
but not much.

My second jacket only cost fifty,
but it’s rugged.
It’s got a weird patchwork style
and I suspect it’s been made from bears or something.
Maybe rhinoceri.

I don’t really know much about the tanning industry.

I love the jacket,
even if I don’t feel too good about wearing leather.
Not that I have the courage of my convictions.