Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for May 19, 2021

Welcome to the Ballard Street Twilight Zone.

As soon as the paint dries on the lemon, Leon is gone.

It kind of feels like that when a company is shutting down, and you’re one of the last ones left.

Will Wilbur’s plum job soon be gone?

The banana is one I wonder about.

The fruity remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”.

I knew it! The worm has turned. After all these eons of apple-picking, peach cobbler, and blueberry compote, the fruit has become sentient and carnivorous.

I know in a universe populated by Toons it’s hard to tell the difference…

But doesn’t anybody notice that the new “employees” are not actual fruits, but merely pictures of fruits?

It’s not just a corporate buyout by Big Fruit…

But possibly a hostile takeover by the man known only as … “The Painter.”

The treachery of office work – ce n’est pas une banane.

…and there’s the nut…

If Arnold’s suspicions are correct, he will soon be replaced with an eggplant.

A juicy plot twist.

Wait until the Big Cheese hears about this!

This may not be a smoothie takeover, I fear.

Blame climate control!

Not to worry, that’s Art sitting back there & he’ll fit right in with the new staff…

What the fruit is going on here?

Ironically, everything BUT an apple.

Is “fruit” still a word to describe gay men? Rumor has it that Ballard St is slow to change.

There once was a man named Leon,

who, like the rest, was a peon.

They all became fruit, (blame that Corporate Suit),

who’s now gone ’cause Leon used D-Con®…

(⚆ ⌣ʖ⚆)

Really, not a bad idea.

Can I please be replaced by a lime?

The poor guy looks like he’s slowly being replaced by a prune.

Not even real fruit.

At least they’re not being replaced by nuts.

Wait, that would be redundant.

Everyone ? Even the nuts ?

Awww…….nuts!!

They left one fruit who could actually write.