25 Apr
When sleep needs to be
courted, woo it not with words,
let static be song.
Give it not the gift
of diamonds, the sparkle
of a starry sky.
Rather, present it
with the intimacy of
a snowy midnight.
Between the covers,
become a story, the plot
it cannot resist.
Let it get lost in
a passage that must be read
again and again.
When static falls on
deaf ears and snow is deepest,
sleep becomes the page.
19 Apr
The night should already be over,
but dawn has yet
to awaken on the far horizon.
This early a.m.,
transparency has donned a shawl.
It is as if spinning
spiders have collaborated to weave
an opaque web,
one tying shut at all four corners
of the skyline.
Groundwater, moist as an ocean,
acquiring angel wings,
has triumphantly become cloud.
If the birds have
already begun morning’s liturgy,
a hamstrung breeze
struggles to carry the broadcast.
Muffled to a whisper,
entrapped in such sticky threads,
their sermon fails
to deliver day’s promise of light.
17 Apr
In this in-depth description of the United States during the Great Depression and World War II, Kennedy focuses on the political, economic, and military issues of the period. The two halves of the book are polar opposites in tone. In the first, the Great Depression has brought the economy to a standstill and unemployment has reached record levels, sparking fear of a revolt from a desperate populace. The second part finds the economy suddenly on steroids, with America’s industry needing to find enough workers to fuel the output required by the war effort, with so many men drafted into the military.
While Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in the White House from 1932 until his death in 1945, it is not surprising that he is the major figure featured throughout the book. But Kennedy does step back to discuss how the war affected the average American, including minorities and women. What may surprise some readers are the many steps that Herbert Hoover took from 1928 to 1932 to contain the Great Depression which began during his Presidency. Many of them were later adopted and taken credit for by Roosevelt.
While Roosevelt produced a dizzying alphabet soup of programs to reawaken the economy, unemployment continued to run close to 14% for the duration of the 1930s. But as Kennedy shows, his efforts provided a sense of hope even if they often failed to deliver positive results. A few of them, however, such Social Security, have stood the test of time. Roosevelt’s New Deal sputtered to a close by 1938. By this time, the international situation began to become more of a priority than the domestic one. With Germany, Italy and Japan threatening world peace, Roosevelt continued to be handcuffed by powerful isolationists that forced him to find creative ways to support Britain as it faced the Nazi onslaught. As this book shows, the President was a politician first and an idealist second.
Kennedy’s prose shines in describing America’s military involvement in the War after Pearl Harbor. He succinctly describes its battlefields and the cost of life on both sides. Highlighted is the productive capacity of the American economy that tipped the balance for the Allies, strong enough to supply not only guns for the war effort, but butter for the American public as well. Meanwhile, World War II has been described as the Good War, but this book reveals that many of America’s actions were ethically questionable.
In covering such a large time period, there are topics that are given short shrift. That said, Kennedy succeeds in giving a creditable overview of the American people in economic depression and war. Clocking in at over 850 pages, Freedom From Fear is not a quick read, but the author’s skill keeps it an engaging one throughout.
12 Apr
This short-lived pairing of
eyes, legs and arms.
The numbered dawns, dusks
and awakenings.
Tomorrow’s bed and board
never guaranteed.
Remembrance and reflection
certain to be erased.
The daily hungering for more
despite limited returns.
An audacity to hope until
that final breath.
Unaware even then, how
the immortals envy
our gift of impermanence.
Temporarily royal, we
savor every moment given.
10 Apr
Since its publication in 1956, Zama has been acclaimed over the years as a masterpiece of modern Argentinian literature. Set in the last decade of the eighteenth century, the novel focuses on a Spanish official posted to Asunción, the capital of Paraguay. Proud, racist, and prone to petty grudges, Don Diego de Zama throughout the book plots his transfer back to Buenos Aires – the seat of civilization in his mind, where he believes the wrongs he’s endured will be made right.
The novel follows Don Diego’s descent into poverty as he hopelessly awaits to be summoned back to his wife and children in Brazil. Its short chapters read like a diary that documents his hopes, despair, and anger at a situation totally beyond his control. While being a white man who feels superior to the native subjects of Indians and those of African descent, since he is American-born, Don Diego is considered tainted by the Spanish-born ruling elite.
While proud and arrogant, his insecurities lead him to rash actions that eventually spell his doom. Though married, he fathers a son with another woman and turns his back on him. As the story progresses, his growing paranoia cuts him off from a return to Brazil. Don Diego is not an easy character for the reader to pity. His pride and racist attitudes make him someone difficult to root for. The novel’s existential account of Zama’s life intrigues but fails to evoke sympathy or an understanding of the man himself. Turning the book’s last page, I found myself indifferent about his eventual fate.
5 Apr
Toni Morrison’s second novel, Sula was published in 1973. Set in the fictional town of Medallion, Ohio, it describes life in “the Bottom,” a poor black neighborhood perched in a wasteland above the town. Broad in scope, the story covers a time period running from 1921 to 1965.
Sula Peace and Nel Wright are the book’s heroines, best friends throughout childhood, and are proof that opposites attract. Nel is a “goody two-shoes,” a child who grew up under the strict control of a prim and proper mother. Living with her grandmother and mother, Sula has been allowed to do as she pleases in an eccentric family. The first part of the book focuses on what seems to be a lasting bond between the girls, while the second half shows how divergent paths taken in adulthood ultimately sever it.
Even at this early stage of her writing career, Toni Morrison’s prose dazzles. The dialogue is crisp and crackles with life. But at the same time, what motivates and drives her characters is never fully explained, especially in the case of Sula. The reasons for her later heartless actions in life are never given. Ultimately, Sula is perceived as an evil by her neighbors. The town’s reaction after she dies leads to tragedy as madness seizes the entire community and they are swept into a defiant parade against their poverty and death itself.
5 Apr
In the moon’s light dusting
of hallways and steps,
wattage isn’t needed
to safely make my
way into our dark kitchen.
Kettle filled and gas ring lit,
I judiciously measure
scooped tea leaves,
aroma’s awakening
anticipated at the splash.
Cradled like a fragile dream,
cup held close to my
chest, in starlight’s
celestial shimmer,
I settle into a patio chair.
In this sacred hour before
dawn, the heavy
weight of a waking
regret evaporates,
inconsequential after all.
Robert Up At Dawn 