No one knows what really goes on in a marriage…
…writes
Continue reading →Category Archives: Poetry
Tempus fugit: when you’re a Jet you stay a Jet
Indulging in one of my favorite pastimes, surfing on YouTube, recently led me to a clip of a 2007 rehearsal of a new production of the musical “West Side Story.” The sequence begins with the cast of the 2007 revival, … Continue reading →
Graphic illustration of why the rise of photography…
…has coincided with a rise in the rate of depression. The ravages of time didn’t used to be so well-documented. Then again—there’s a genre of YouTube videos that feature the morphing of photos of the same person over a long … Continue reading →
On the EU folly
Shorter Daley on the EU: good fences make good neighbors. “Consensus” has become coercion. The imperatives of federalism and ever closer union have come bang up against the basic principle of democracy: that elected governments should be answerable to their … Continue reading →
Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, things fall apart—the London riots
The other day I was talking with friend, comparing the present feeling of unrest to the turmoil of the late 60s. We agreed that both times were tumultuous, but she thought things were worse now. I said I wasn’t sure; … Continue reading →
Want to reach 100? Just do whatever you want…
…and hope for the best. The latest suggestion is that nothing much that you can do matters—although of course it’s best not to off yourself prematurely if you want to reach three figures. One thing that might help would be … Continue reading →
Winehouse and Holiday: addiction and defiance
I can’t say I knew much about Amy Winehouse until her death, although I’d vaguely heard of her. But from what I’ve read since, it appears she exemplified a type of addict who is extraordinarily difficult to help—defiant and resistant … Continue reading →
Listen my children and you will hear: the charge of the light brigade
A couple of weeks ago I had some fun with poetic voices of the past, and in the comments section “Beverly” alerted me to the fact that a recording exists of Alfred Lord Tennyson reading his poem “Charge of the … Continue reading →
The patrician American voice: poets and others
I recently read Savage Beauty, a biography of American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. There are several passages in the book that describe the power of Millay’s voice and its remarkable ability to transfix and even seduce (in Millay’s case, … Continue reading →
Edna St. Vincent Millay, political changer
Perhaps you’ve heard of Edna St. Vincent Millay. She was a lyric poet of great renown during the 1920s and until her death in 1950, known mostly for her sonnets. Her fame as a poet was of a magnitude difficult … Continue reading →
Spambot of the day
Query for this spambot: ah, but can fun actually ever be captured and possessed? Does it not evaporate at the slightest effort to cage it? Took me awhile to learn all the comments, but make enjoyed the article. It turned … Continue reading →
Twas the day after…
[NOTE: Another recycled poem, slightly edited this time.] Twas the day after Christmas, when all through the house, Creatures were stirring and starting to grouse. Torn wrappings were strewn round the floor, what a mess! It’s time for the gift … Continue reading →