Lunar Literacy

When I wake nights
my eyes and ears study
the dark as if it was
a gigantic ticking clock.

Clues revealed in
the lengthening silence
that separates cars;
the hour’s translucency.

Even if unable to
see the stars’ time piece,
such awakenings have
taught me lunar literacy.

My thoughts, loud on
the radio dial, succumb
finally to a whispered
soundscape’s intensity.

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions Of Glory, 1874-1932 / William Manchester

This 973 page biography is the first book in William Manchester’s trilogy that covered the life of Winston Churchill.  While Churchill is best remembered as the valiant Prime Minister of the United Kingdom when he led his country in defeating Germany during World War II, the first fifty-eight years of his life presented here show that even before taking on the Nazis, Churchill already had produced an impressive resumé.  While his political beliefs and actions might not appeal to a good many readers, his personality and talents burn bright on the page.

Born into an aristocratic family, in the years that preceded his becoming Prime Minister in 1940, he led an incredibly full life.  In early adulthood he saw action in both the second Boer War and later served time in the trenches during the Great War.  It was his talents as a war correspondent that first brought him fame, and over the years he published several books about his various war experiences as well as numerous other well received histories.  He was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1900, and he held his seat until 1964.  

During the first twenty years of the Twentieth Century, he was a member of various cabinets of both liberal and conservative British governments.  The number of posts he held is impressive, including First Lord of the Admiralty, Secretary of State for War, and Chancellor of the Exchequer.  Throughout this time, he faced dark times and political exile.  He was blamed for the debacle of the Gallipoli campaign during War World I, and was later involved in moving Britain to the gold standard, an event that later, come the Great Depression, led to a ruined economy,.  But despite his missteps along the way, he remained true to his beliefs no matter the political costs.  Notably, he was one of the first to warn of the danger presented by Communist Russia. 

What charmed me most was his loving relationship with his wife, Clementine.  She and their children were his anchor throughout his life.  His correspondence with her over the decades, often playful and sexually charged, makes for delightful reading.  That said, by no means an easy read, for anyone interested in a key figure in events during the period, this work presents a detailed look at the key points that shaped not only Churchill himself, but the world as a whole.  Thanks to Manchester’s gift as an author, this book is not a dry academic account of the times, but one that comes fully alive on the page and worth the reader’s investment of time.

Confessions Of Felix Krull, Confidence Man : The Early Years / Thomas Mann

Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man turned out to be Thomas Mann’s final novel.  Written in the form of an autobiography, it recounts the childhood and early adulthood of Felix Krull.  A person adept at blending into the society he finds himself in, Krull comes across as smart, charming, and obviously handsome.  He uses these attributes to climb from poverty to ultimately mingling with the highest reaches of European society.

To do so, he masters the art of subterfuge, using impersonation and masquerade to disguise his humble pedigree.  Just as the individuals he interacts with throughout the book, in his written account of his life he plays his cards close to his chest.  An adept chameleon, even in this account of his life, he reveals only brief glimpses of his true self buried beneath the facade he presents to the world.  But from the first page to the last, he remains a likable character despite his chicanery, and a fascinating one.  

Mann is a master storyteller and this novel features a number of clever plot twists that I failed to see coming, although clues aplenty were planted throughout the text.  Published in 1954 to great success, the story concludes with Krull still a young man and succeeding in pulling the wool over the eyes of High Society.  But he does make mention of a later time spent in jail.  It is clear that Mann intended to write future installments of this saga.  Unfortunately, he died the next year, leaving one to wonder about the further adventures and what caused the protagonist’s eventual downfall.  For readers interested in being introduced to Mann’s extensive body of work, this novel will make a great starting point before moving on to his more challenging tomes.

Umbrella

My sister
and brother-in-law approach.
He crouches,
his head thumping the ribs.
On tiptoes,
she tries unsuccessfully to
keep dry.
How mismatched they seem,
tucked there
beneath marriage’s umbrella.
But after
decades of weathering storms,
they pay
no heed to this compromise.
Both have
mastered harmonizing strides.

Five Poems

A shared bed of trust,
this becoming vulnerable here
beside another in
deep sleep’s blank slate.

I’ve worn this scar
like a ribbon won ages ago,
as if carelessness
somehow equates to bravery.

Sleep, a conversation
exchanged, unacknowledged,
even when we are
aware of the other’s presence.

Barely expanding
a sentence into a paragraph,
love’s gift is being
able to interpret the silence.

With night’s eraser,
how brave we are to march
in with eyes closed,
thinking we hold dawn’s key.

Memory’s Match

A day on the wane,
the moon arose shortly after I learned
of your passing.
In the long restless hours following,
it was no darker
with the lamp off, but evening’s deep
shadows persisted.
In a moon’s second-hand light, how
your absence haunted.
If that commiserating candle lasted
to greet the dawn,
dreams’ eventual arrival failed to tell.
But its embers
awaiting thought’s kindling flame
was the night’s gift.
Grief softened to fond remembrance,
even in the moon’s
absence, memory’s match brightens
the whole of heaven.

The Pillars Of The Earth / Ken Follett

Published in 1989, The Pillars of the Earth became a best seller and later spawned a 13 part television mini-series. Follett’s historical novel, unfolding in the 12th century, deals with the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Knightsbridge, England.  It focuses primarily on the period known as The Anarchy when civil war raged in England over who was the rightful heir to the Crown in England and Normandy.  Set against the backdrop of true events of the time, its story tells the fortunes of the Knightsbridge priory and surrounding village.

Before writing this book, Follett had concentrated on writing thrillers.  It shows in his pacing here, where there is rarely a dull moment.  Eschewing poetic flourishes, the author’s prose is to the point.  His main characters are well draw, and his description of daily life at that time enhances the story rather than bogging it down.  It is not often that one calls a 1076 page book an easy read, but this one certainly qualifies.

While the novel’s centerpiece is the efforts that surround the building of a cathedral, numerous themes are also explored.  These include: loyalty, betrayal, love, war, and religion, with sections on gothic architecture thrown in to boot.  It is necessary, however, to provide a reader advisory––the novel does contain graphic depictions of violence, rape, and murder.  During these troubled times, though, if you are looking for a good book to mentally get away from our current affairs, this one will keep you well occupied.`

Sights And Sounds

-August Haikus

In dawn’s opaque gray
sparrows arrive to breakfast,
unseen but still heard

Miniature moons
strewn at our feet, white clover
to hopscotch over

Down an alleyway
in a shaft of light, Queen Anne’s
lace among the waste

With Fall impending,
an orchestra of crickets
conducts us to sleep

Thank insomnia
for the knowledge of midnight’s
trespassing full moon