Cookout, Thunder
1.
One of the things I love most about humanity
Is that every single one of us is an individual:
Full of individual ideas.
One of the things I most detest about humanity
Is that every single one of us has a contradictory opinion
To every single thing someone else says.
Overheard at work:
“Houston is the worst place to live if you have allergies.”
“No it’s not it’s Austin.”
To the reader of this poem: you in your mind are
Right now contradicting this conversation:
- Insert your own city here -
You are inserting your own city here.
Or not.
Or someone else's city.
Do not tell me what city is the best or worst for allergies.
And do not agree with me.
When every single one of us is an individual,
Not one of us is.
And no ...
we are not
free
to
dis
a
gree.
2.
The muses of poetry these days are screaming in frustration.
They pound against the battered walls of their stone towers.
They want to let down their hair, but their hair has been shorn.
The poets have ignored the muses of poetry for decades now/
Finding inspiration in themselves – they have made their own
Imaginations their vain muses, and it shows.
The ubiquitous singularity - the indulgence of the “I” –
The frankly disgusting revelry within the exaltation of the self.
The idol on your shelf is a monogrammed mirror.
The muses of poetry used to sing of quaint villages,
Bucolic gardens, of the moon and the starlit skies,
Of the curve of a lover’s breast and the tilt of the wind.
The muses of poetry used to herald heroes of the high seas,
The stalwart wisdom of the farmer and the tradesman,
The infinity reflected in a child’s eyes.
The muses of poetry used to find eternity in a rose petal,
Bittersweet tragedy in the fading light of afternoon,
The tides of time in the gentle sway of a weeping willow.
Now, their voices are fading. They have been locked away for
So long they are hoarse from screaming and never being heard.
They cannot be heard over the voices of the poets, the god of the “I”
3.
Suegra walking with the new friend
Twice around the lake.
4.
Daughter in college dorm,
Says she felt lonely
So she picked up a kitten from a litter from a girl
giving them away from a cardboard box
out of the back of her car
parked on the beach.
Mother called, daughter tells her.
Mother asks, "Oh no, mija! They are going to
charge us more for your rent!"
"No they won't, mami," daughter assures her.
Daughter knows that the House Monitor will
never tell ...
because she's sleeping with him.
5.
Daughter walks with her new kitten along the beach
looking out over Corpus Christi bay.
Some kids are having a cookout.
In the Gulf, comes rolling thunder.
6.
Suegra walks around the lake with her new friend,
Man-made lake built in the middle of the planned community.
What used to be rice fields that stretched across three counties.
There is a family, having a cookout near the inlet with the
swimming pool for residents.
Some ducks waddle idly by.
A turtle plops into the water as the two old women walk by.
In the distance, the clouds grow a dark purple, like a bruise
under tissuepaper skin.
7.
In my backyard, on the small grill,
I am cooking steaks.
While I am cooking steaks, I am thinking about the incessant poetry
filled with the cloying "I"
I.
I am thinking of dead muses, long dead muses,
muses who will never hear the rolling thunder
fading into the distance.
MR
started 2015-0902
found and completed 2019-0915
[NOTE: "Cookout, Thunder" is a play on the name "Picnic, Lightning" a collection of poems by Billy Collins in 1998. Well worth reading. As I recall, I had originally planned a series of poems to be responses to the poems in that collection, and as you can see by sections 1 and 2, it continues with my meditations on the theme that I have noticed recently in contemporary poets and in our culture in general: this annoying hyper-focus on the "self." However, as with most of my pieces, this was left unfinished and forgotten until today, when I fleshed out the parts about my daughter and mi suegra.
[While I did not name it in the poem, the location for the lake and home cookout is Cinco Hill.
[So, at least it's done ... as done as it's probably going to be. I'd suggest reading Billy Collins: he's a far better poet and you will probably find his work much more enjoyable.
Showing posts with label 2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2015. Show all posts
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Overread at the Counter: Poem of the Day (again, Yesterday)
I was having a dream at about 11:30pm or so last night, I know only because I kept coming in and out of sleep and seeing the clock and remembering 11:34 or 11:43 or something around that time, and the images in my head were of boots slowly walking over crumbled stones of cement houses that had been bombed to rubble and the title of the poem was "Assad" or "Assad's Syria" and the lines were
Feet stumble across the rubble of broken stones.
Lungs filled with acrid cement dust.
... and I was thinking of a man, or a woman, or children, and I was remembering how, when the towers fell on 9-11, that all the people who were in the vicinity at the moment that they crashed to the ground were all covered in cement dust, and then I was thinking about how, ten years later, everyone was dying of lung poisoning, because all their lungs were filled with the particulates, and so I'm wondering if, in five to ten years from now, will the Syrian refugees also start dying of the cement dust that rips apart their lungs from the inside, and I was thinking what is all this for? What, after all, is the point?
MR
2015-0102
Feet stumble across the rubble of broken stones.
Lungs filled with acrid cement dust.
... and I was thinking of a man, or a woman, or children, and I was remembering how, when the towers fell on 9-11, that all the people who were in the vicinity at the moment that they crashed to the ground were all covered in cement dust, and then I was thinking about how, ten years later, everyone was dying of lung poisoning, because all their lungs were filled with the particulates, and so I'm wondering if, in five to ten years from now, will the Syrian refugees also start dying of the cement dust that rips apart their lungs from the inside, and I was thinking what is all this for? What, after all, is the point?
MR
2015-0102
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Overheard at Table 2: Bill Cosby Sues Attackers
Hey I just heard that Bill Cosby is suing some of his attackers because he says they are just bringing suit against him to make some money. What's super disgusting about that is that he was this predator who used these women - I mean DRUGGED them - to feed his need to be a sexual predator, and now that they're coming forward, he's just showing again what little regard he has for them.
When these women came to him to be mentored, they wanted to be in the business, show business, and yeah they were wanting his help to set themselves up a career and yeah - THEN was the time that they were wanting to make money. NOW they're just suing him to make sure that no other entertainer does the same kind of filthy predation that Cosby's gotten away with for over 50 years!
I tell ya, I used to love Bill Cosby - funniest guy ever, and CLEAN! I'm not talking the Hugstable image but I'm talking his standup in the 60s. When everyone else was doing the vulgar stuff - Lenny Bruce and other guys - but Cosby was good humor that everyone could enjoy and relate too.
Man, when your heroes fall from grace it's really sad. And when they go down waving their fists wildly at the open air, that's just pathetic!
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35098636
When these women came to him to be mentored, they wanted to be in the business, show business, and yeah they were wanting his help to set themselves up a career and yeah - THEN was the time that they were wanting to make money. NOW they're just suing him to make sure that no other entertainer does the same kind of filthy predation that Cosby's gotten away with for over 50 years!
I tell ya, I used to love Bill Cosby - funniest guy ever, and CLEAN! I'm not talking the Hugstable image but I'm talking his standup in the 60s. When everyone else was doing the vulgar stuff - Lenny Bruce and other guys - but Cosby was good humor that everyone could enjoy and relate too.
Man, when your heroes fall from grace it's really sad. And when they go down waving their fists wildly at the open air, that's just pathetic!
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35098636
Friday, November 20, 2015
Overheard at Booth 2: Sorry still calling you Drake
Y'know not that I really care or anything but I saw something about a flak that Drake Bell tweeted about the Vanity Fair cover of Caitlyn Jenner - he tweeted "Sorry - still calling you Bruce"
and what's weird is the total FREAKOUT response that he got. People tweeting back that he should grow up, calling him an ignorant ass, saying that they'll never watch him again.
I mean, was his comment vulgar? Did it have profanity? Did it threaten Jenner's life? Did he suggest that something BAD should happen to Jenner or that he hoped his career would fail?
NO! He only said "I" - that is, Drake, was going to continue to call him by the name he had been using for 60 frikkin' years!
I kid you not, this Twitter thing turned human beings into reactionary spazoid freakout monsters!
and what's weird is the total FREAKOUT response that he got. People tweeting back that he should grow up, calling him an ignorant ass, saying that they'll never watch him again.
I mean, was his comment vulgar? Did it have profanity? Did it threaten Jenner's life? Did he suggest that something BAD should happen to Jenner or that he hoped his career would fail?
NO! He only said "I" - that is, Drake, was going to continue to call him by the name he had been using for 60 frikkin' years!
I kid you not, this Twitter thing turned human beings into reactionary spazoid freakout monsters!
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Overheard at Table 1: #P4P #BlueLivesMatter
"today at church it was 'blue lives matter' day and we had all the top brass from the County Sherriff's office, the District Attorney, and all the top brass of the all the police departments in the area, and the pastor got them all up on stage and he prayed for them and he prayed for all the police officers and when he prayed for God to give them wisdom all I could think was 'yes, please God, give them the wisdom not to gun down 12 year old boys in public parks!'"
Monday, November 9, 2015
Overheard at Booth 3: Perspective
"You know, I just think it's damn sad that this year is the year of Transgender Rights, when there are only about 70,000 transgender people in the US and about a hundred seventy MILLION women. Also about 4 BILLION women worldwide, and over 3/4s of ALL of them don't have equal pay, equal rights, or even basic protection over their own bodies. I mean, let's put it into perspective, people!"
Overheard at Table 2: Ted Cruz Declares WAR on the "Liberal" Media
This is an email that I got from some mewing whiner who spews nothing but nonsensical filth who has the audacity to imagine that he has the qualifications to be President of the United States of America.
 |
BREAKING: Hannity on CNBC Debate: "This Is Going to Go Down in History as REALLY BAD NIGHT for the Media"
| ||||||||||||
Friday, October 23, 2015
Overheard at Table 3: #Sanctuarycities driving people to think abt murder
"yesterday on the radio talk show - on that supposedly Christian AM channel but which's really a front for conservative talk - there was a caller talking about these so-called 'sanctuary cities' where they don't enforce the Federal immigration laws, and this guy suddenly launched into how he could understand if the dad of that woman who was killed in SanFran would be so pissed off that he would want to kill the councilman who voted to make it a sanctuary city!
"and yeah, even though the talk show host is, like, super-conservative, even he had to jump in and say, 'listen, sanctuary cities disgust me, too, but you can't be talking about supporting murder and vengeance like that' and he dropped the call and went on to a different topic,
"but here I am thinking, this is what we've come to. This one talk show host might have dropped thiis call, but damn all this stuff going around does nothing but drive people insane, makes 'em mad enough to actually think about this kind of retribution.
"I gotta say that I'm really scared about where this all is leading to."
"and yeah, even though the talk show host is, like, super-conservative, even he had to jump in and say, 'listen, sanctuary cities disgust me, too, but you can't be talking about supporting murder and vengeance like that' and he dropped the call and went on to a different topic,
"but here I am thinking, this is what we've come to. This one talk show host might have dropped thiis call, but damn all this stuff going around does nothing but drive people insane, makes 'em mad enough to actually think about this kind of retribution.
"I gotta say that I'm really scared about where this all is leading to."
Monday, October 12, 2015
Overheard at Table 2: GOP Presidential Candidates
"There has GOT to be some sort of pool in Vegas about the GOP candidates. There is absolutely no way that these guys could have all come out in force at one time. I just wanna look at the GOP and say 'Really? 300 million people in this country, and this is the best you can give us?'"
Friday, October 2, 2015
Overheard at Table 2: No Birth Certs for Illegal Children
So in Austin they're denying birth certificates for children born to illegals, becuase basically down here in Texas if your Hispanic, you're essentially screwed. Seems like the whites who still control the legislature have this complex about the War for Independence and are still mad about it.
Basically, it's about power, about control. They don't want a rising Hispanic population that has any sort of legitimate voting capacity, because that will eventually affect the power currently held by the white population. Denying birth certificates to people born on US soil is a way to achieve that goal.
Now, their arguments will be 1) that they want to control fraud. This is a logical fallacy, possibly an appeal to ignorance or evidence of absence. I'd even say it's a red herring. There is no evidence of fraud in obtaining birth certificates for children.
People obtain birth certificates for their children so that their children can get Medicaid and go school. So, they will argue point 2) that they don't want the illegals taking "OUR" social safety nets.
Well, according the 14th Amendment, the children ARE citizens, and therefore cannot be denied these social safety nets.
So here comes 3) - REINTERPRET the 14th Amendment to make damn sure that those children of "illegals" don't ever have a home. Because they certainly weren't born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala or anywhere else. They were born right here. And if they were born right here, where the hell else are they going to call their birthplace.
What this boils down to is this: the white establishment in Texas fears the growing Hispanic population, and this denial of birth certificates is a reaction to that fear. What makes them successful is that they can couch it in the language of preventing fraud, but in reality it's a bully tactic. Because the undocumented community is unprotected. And a bully always beats up on the weakest, most vulnerable, unprotected - of any society.
Basically, it's about power, about control. They don't want a rising Hispanic population that has any sort of legitimate voting capacity, because that will eventually affect the power currently held by the white population. Denying birth certificates to people born on US soil is a way to achieve that goal.
Now, their arguments will be 1) that they want to control fraud. This is a logical fallacy, possibly an appeal to ignorance or evidence of absence. I'd even say it's a red herring. There is no evidence of fraud in obtaining birth certificates for children.
People obtain birth certificates for their children so that their children can get Medicaid and go school. So, they will argue point 2) that they don't want the illegals taking "OUR" social safety nets.
Well, according the 14th Amendment, the children ARE citizens, and therefore cannot be denied these social safety nets.
So here comes 3) - REINTERPRET the 14th Amendment to make damn sure that those children of "illegals" don't ever have a home. Because they certainly weren't born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala or anywhere else. They were born right here. And if they were born right here, where the hell else are they going to call their birthplace.
What this boils down to is this: the white establishment in Texas fears the growing Hispanic population, and this denial of birth certificates is a reaction to that fear. What makes them successful is that they can couch it in the language of preventing fraud, but in reality it's a bully tactic. Because the undocumented community is unprotected. And a bully always beats up on the weakest, most vulnerable, unprotected - of any society.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Overheard at Table 3: All Done with Bieber Fever
1: Saw a girl the other day, walking to the amusement park, had a t-shirt saying "I HEART JUSTIN BEIBER" - thought to myself, 'Man I didn't think anybody would still be listening to that guy."
2: Does seem weird. Was she punking it out or was she just some sort of retro-nerd.
1: More like a retro-nerd, from the looks of it.
3: Personally I think it'd be cool to be Bieber.
2: Well, yeah, you get the money, the fame, the fans, until the fans all grow up.
3: That's what I think is so cool. Fame only lasts about five years, right?
1: More or less.
3: Look at it. The Stones still have to tour and those guys are pushing 90 it seems like, but they have to keep having these monster concerts to cover all their houses, ex-wives . . .
2: Keith's massive coke habit.
3: ... Keith's massive coke habit. But if you're Bieber, you have a frikkin awful schedule for about five years, touring, interviews, whatever, then poof! All done. Over. Nothing but some retro-nerd wearing your shirt. And if you've put your money away right, live simply, don't buy yourself an island . . .
1: Or get a massive coke habit.
3: ... or get a massive coke habit, then you're set for life and you never have to work another day. It's all surf and sun and playing frisbee with your golden retriever in the park. The Sweet Life.
2: That would be great.
1: The only problem is that we're all pushing 30.
2: And we don't sing.
3: Did I say every plan was perfect?
2: Does seem weird. Was she punking it out or was she just some sort of retro-nerd.
1: More like a retro-nerd, from the looks of it.
3: Personally I think it'd be cool to be Bieber.
2: Well, yeah, you get the money, the fame, the fans, until the fans all grow up.
3: That's what I think is so cool. Fame only lasts about five years, right?
1: More or less.
3: Look at it. The Stones still have to tour and those guys are pushing 90 it seems like, but they have to keep having these monster concerts to cover all their houses, ex-wives . . .
2: Keith's massive coke habit.
3: ... Keith's massive coke habit. But if you're Bieber, you have a frikkin awful schedule for about five years, touring, interviews, whatever, then poof! All done. Over. Nothing but some retro-nerd wearing your shirt. And if you've put your money away right, live simply, don't buy yourself an island . . .
1: Or get a massive coke habit.
3: ... or get a massive coke habit, then you're set for life and you never have to work another day. It's all surf and sun and playing frisbee with your golden retriever in the park. The Sweet Life.
2: That would be great.
1: The only problem is that we're all pushing 30.
2: And we don't sing.
3: Did I say every plan was perfect?
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Overheard at Table 1: Anchor Babies
Arman: Are we REALLY having this discussion about anchor babies? Heard on the radio the other day this lady was really going on about how "illegals" come here to have babies so they can get social services. And what really made this different is that she didn't sound like a freaking wingnut. She was making a rational argument.
Juli: A lot of people are making that argument. They're all nucking futs.
Arman: But when you've got a rational one, that's even more dangerous. For me I just wanted to call up that radio station and tell them, 'Listen you morons. People fuck. People fuck a LOT. People are getting it on all the time. And women from Latin countries are coming from countries where the men demand it constantly. Hell, a quinceañera is just a celebration that a girl has reached her 15th birthday withOUT getting pregnant. THAT's how much they do it. So LAY OFF the rhetoric.
Juli: Arman, women let themselves get pregnant for all kinds of reasons. Usually women get pregnant just to keep their man around. I think anybody talking about illegals wanting anchor babies also needs to talk about good old Americans - white, black, brown, whatever - who have babies just to try to keep their men from leaving them.
Arman: So we're all anchor babies, then?
Juli: In a way, yes.
Juli: A lot of people are making that argument. They're all nucking futs.
Arman: But when you've got a rational one, that's even more dangerous. For me I just wanted to call up that radio station and tell them, 'Listen you morons. People fuck. People fuck a LOT. People are getting it on all the time. And women from Latin countries are coming from countries where the men demand it constantly. Hell, a quinceañera is just a celebration that a girl has reached her 15th birthday withOUT getting pregnant. THAT's how much they do it. So LAY OFF the rhetoric.
Juli: Arman, women let themselves get pregnant for all kinds of reasons. Usually women get pregnant just to keep their man around. I think anybody talking about illegals wanting anchor babies also needs to talk about good old Americans - white, black, brown, whatever - who have babies just to try to keep their men from leaving them.
Arman: So we're all anchor babies, then?
Juli: In a way, yes.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Overheard at Booth 3: No Hero(ine)
So you heard about Bruce Jenner at the award ceremony last night? Hell I don't even know what award ceremony it was but he - or she - now we gotta call he a she! - was apparently breaking down crying talking about how transgenders need respect, well he's right - or she's right - about that. They do need respect, but Jenner is no damn hero, let me tell you that.
Jenner's just some rich fuck out there to make a buck and he was probably tired of being on a reality show and being cast in the background like an old suitcase and seeing how everyone walked over him and now he's in the spotlight in the way he hasn't been since 1979, and he always enjoyed the spotlight and that's what he's going for. He's no hero for transgender rights.
You wanna know who the TRUE transgender heroes - and heroines - are? They're the kids, the high school kids, the junior high kids, who are trying to figure out who they are in this world and where their place is, and they're trying to figure it out, and they go to school every day. Every. Single. Day. KNOWING they're going to get smack, to get shit, to get bullied.
And yet they GO. They face it every single day, just trying to get through because they know that this is what they gotta do to grow up and get the hell out of there.
They are the true heroes. Not this rich guy who has all his meals handed to him on a silver platter, who's got more money than you or I or most of these TG kids will ever see in our lifetime.
Hero? Heroine? HELL!
Jenner's just some rich fuck out there to make a buck and he was probably tired of being on a reality show and being cast in the background like an old suitcase and seeing how everyone walked over him and now he's in the spotlight in the way he hasn't been since 1979, and he always enjoyed the spotlight and that's what he's going for. He's no hero for transgender rights.
You wanna know who the TRUE transgender heroes - and heroines - are? They're the kids, the high school kids, the junior high kids, who are trying to figure out who they are in this world and where their place is, and they're trying to figure it out, and they go to school every day. Every. Single. Day. KNOWING they're going to get smack, to get shit, to get bullied.
And yet they GO. They face it every single day, just trying to get through because they know that this is what they gotta do to grow up and get the hell out of there.
They are the true heroes. Not this rich guy who has all his meals handed to him on a silver platter, who's got more money than you or I or most of these TG kids will ever see in our lifetime.
Hero? Heroine? HELL!
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Overheard at the Counter: Marriage, Both of Them
Verble, still blathering away, says,
"Now, the reason why Christians, or those who claim to be Christians (yes, it's true not everyone who claims to be a Christian is truly saved. Now I am not to judge people individually so I can't say 'You are not a Christian because that would be my pride and judgement talking, but just read 'Sheep and Goats' from Matthew and you know it's true, but anyway...) those who claim to be Christians think that Social Marriage and God's Marriage are the same. They think that if they are married by a pastor that makes God bless the marriage.
"Completely false. We have conflated the two so that in our minds they are indistinguishable. This confounds the ignorant and the intelligentsia alike, but this is what it is.
"The human race is separated into two genders. From those genders offspring is made, and by this the human race continues. We all agree on that. Yes, we all know that our science can produce offspring, so sexual reproduction may be rendered unnecessary, but we can't doubt that this is how we all got here. OK, then...
"A careful reading of scripture reveals to us that God's intent is for monogamy. God has many aspects of His personality - call them emotions, call them character traits - but what Christians, among others, believe is that He infused humanity with those traits, separated them between the genders, and that by coming together as one, we could, in our marriage, replicate the completeness that is God.
"Period. One Man and One Woman, giving their marriage over to God to demonstrate to the world their worship of God. If you do not believe in God you do not have a God Marriage. You have a Social Marriage.
"Yes, there are millions, billions, gazillions of people throughout history who have been married in churches in front of 'God and everybody' who have always had a Social Marriage and not a God Marriage. I would say that God Marriage is in terribly short supply.
"Christians are supposed to promote their marriage as a worship of God in the same way that missionaries feed the sick and build homes for the poor as a way of worshiping God. Marriage is intended to be sort of a constant prayer, a vigil, putting up your ebenezer, that type of thing,
"However, Social Marriage is what we have. As humans we have the freedom to create and recreate our culture to what we want it to be. In this culture of equality, I say fair play to yesterday's Supreme Court decision, because they have is bestowed dignity upon couples who have spent years fighting their families over such rights as who gets the stuff when the partner passes away, fighting school systems over who gets to pick up the child from elementary school, fighting companies over who gets to be put on disability benefits, and fighting the culture over who gets the social status of demonstrating to the world 'This is the person I LOVE!' . . . and for that I say, 'Fair play!'
"But sadly, it is not and can never be the concept of Holy Matrimony as an act of devotion, constant prayer, and glorification of God. See? God Marriage.
"But that's OK. Don't worry about it. Most people no longer believe in God anyway, so who cares, right?
"Regardless, any sort of movement by supposed Christians to make any Amendment to the Constitution will only be serving to send a signal that they think they are somehow better and more deserving than others to this idea of marriage, and ultimately that will negate our mission as Christians to show His love to the world through our acts of service to the world.
"We must live together. As much as it is within our power, we must live peaceably among all humans. Personally, I think all this confusion is because we humans always pretended to have something that we did not, and it was our prideful nature to elevate our desires over our worship for Him. We always thought that our Social Marriage was a God Marriage, and it has always only been a social contract.
"But oh, well, frailty is humanity.
"God bless, and have a wonderful day!"
"Now, the reason why Christians, or those who claim to be Christians (yes, it's true not everyone who claims to be a Christian is truly saved. Now I am not to judge people individually so I can't say 'You are not a Christian because that would be my pride and judgement talking, but just read 'Sheep and Goats' from Matthew and you know it's true, but anyway...) those who claim to be Christians think that Social Marriage and God's Marriage are the same. They think that if they are married by a pastor that makes God bless the marriage.
"Completely false. We have conflated the two so that in our minds they are indistinguishable. This confounds the ignorant and the intelligentsia alike, but this is what it is.
"The human race is separated into two genders. From those genders offspring is made, and by this the human race continues. We all agree on that. Yes, we all know that our science can produce offspring, so sexual reproduction may be rendered unnecessary, but we can't doubt that this is how we all got here. OK, then...
"A careful reading of scripture reveals to us that God's intent is for monogamy. God has many aspects of His personality - call them emotions, call them character traits - but what Christians, among others, believe is that He infused humanity with those traits, separated them between the genders, and that by coming together as one, we could, in our marriage, replicate the completeness that is God.
"Period. One Man and One Woman, giving their marriage over to God to demonstrate to the world their worship of God. If you do not believe in God you do not have a God Marriage. You have a Social Marriage.
"Yes, there are millions, billions, gazillions of people throughout history who have been married in churches in front of 'God and everybody' who have always had a Social Marriage and not a God Marriage. I would say that God Marriage is in terribly short supply.
"Christians are supposed to promote their marriage as a worship of God in the same way that missionaries feed the sick and build homes for the poor as a way of worshiping God. Marriage is intended to be sort of a constant prayer, a vigil, putting up your ebenezer, that type of thing,
"However, Social Marriage is what we have. As humans we have the freedom to create and recreate our culture to what we want it to be. In this culture of equality, I say fair play to yesterday's Supreme Court decision, because they have is bestowed dignity upon couples who have spent years fighting their families over such rights as who gets the stuff when the partner passes away, fighting school systems over who gets to pick up the child from elementary school, fighting companies over who gets to be put on disability benefits, and fighting the culture over who gets the social status of demonstrating to the world 'This is the person I LOVE!' . . . and for that I say, 'Fair play!'
"But sadly, it is not and can never be the concept of Holy Matrimony as an act of devotion, constant prayer, and glorification of God. See? God Marriage.
"But that's OK. Don't worry about it. Most people no longer believe in God anyway, so who cares, right?
"Regardless, any sort of movement by supposed Christians to make any Amendment to the Constitution will only be serving to send a signal that they think they are somehow better and more deserving than others to this idea of marriage, and ultimately that will negate our mission as Christians to show His love to the world through our acts of service to the world.
"We must live together. As much as it is within our power, we must live peaceably among all humans. Personally, I think all this confusion is because we humans always pretended to have something that we did not, and it was our prideful nature to elevate our desires over our worship for Him. We always thought that our Social Marriage was a God Marriage, and it has always only been a social contract.
"But oh, well, frailty is humanity.
"God bless, and have a wonderful day!"
Overheard at the Counter: A Brief History of Marriage
Verble, recapping the events of the week, goes off on a history lesson:
"Marriage has always been a social contract. Always. It's always been about who gets your stuff.
When Og and Grog were fighting for who was gonna lead the tribe down the river to the next cave, whoever won would need to ensure that if they got eaten by a mountain lion, that their kid would be the next in line to keep the tribe moving. Marriage solves that problem.
"So, in a way, marriage has always been about social status and economic distribution. We see this throughout history. Do you really have this false notion that monogamy was ever really practiced? We've got loads of evidence, even Biblically, about concubines and prostitutes and little boys and all sorts of fornication that is the hallmark of humanity. But of all the pre-Legal Trust societies, marriage made sure that your cash and your credit got passed down.
"This is because a society could always tell what baby came out of what woman. That kid popped out of her womb. But the daddy? You can never really tell. Does this kid have a claim to Locutus's sword? Or to Zoltar's 100 head of oxen? Without marriage, it would have been one bloody mess trying to figure that out.
"The only historical blip on marriage was Jesus Christ, who came along and introduced strict monogamy. You were supposed to have only your wife. 'What the hell?!' the people said. 'I can't have my wife and have my fun with that loose Samaritan chick that sometimes goes to the well?' 'No,' Jesus said, 'because if you do, you've broken your vow not just on this social compact, but also before God, and therefore you lose your right to your stuff, because God gave you the stuff.'
"That was one of the reasons why they so wanted Him dead. 'We gotta get rid of this guy! It's OK if he heals the sick but now he's talking about our STUFF!'
"Am I starting to sound like a George Carlin routine? That's OK. Carlin was a spot-on guy. Although it is funny to mention Jesus and George in the same breath.
"But I digress: this is really why St Valentine was marrying people in secret around 300AD. The Emperor didn't like people marrying because then someone would have secret claim to whatever stuff the people would have after they died in far-off countries trying to expand the empire.
"The idea of monogamy (which is God's marriage, which is different that this social idea of marriage, but that's a different rant) is what became solemnized with social marriage with the rise of European countries as a world influence. Still, though, throughout the Dark Ages and even the Renaissance, the idea of marriage was basically that this is the woman who you say to the world this is who I'm doing it with, and your other lovers you just keep in the dark. Any kids from the lovers never got a cent - imagine that! No child support - nothing! - they had to go out and make it on their own. Why do you think William the Bastard was able to change his name to William the Conqueror in 1066?
"Christian pastors today think that the beginning of the end of Traditional Marriage (which, by the way, is this confusion between God's marriage and Human Marriage) began with the Enlightenment. Man, do pastors HATE the Enlightenment. Still, though, that's yet ANOTHER rant.
"Me, I think the true end for Trad Marriage is the Romantic Poets. Why? You may ask, How can these proto-hippies be so bad for marriage. Well, it's because they introduced the idea that you were actually supposed to LOVE the person you're married to.
"The whole idea behind marriage up until right before the 20th Century is that you marry someone, have kids, the kids get your stuff, and maybe you will find love with that person, or at the very least find a way to tolerate them for the rest of your life. Either way, the women get economic security, the man gets regular meals and social status and the kids aren't sent away to live in the woods with the mountain lions. Period.
"Then all this ROMANCE comes along, and marriage is infused with this 'you MUST fall in love' Now, that's OK by me. Took me three tries but I finally did it. What I'm saying is that this breaks down the SOCIAL contract of marriage and makes it a romantic contract. While this was probably intended to be closer to God's Marriage (which again, is separate and distinct), it actually paved the way for divorce. Because a contract can not change hearts or help you through the bad times.
"Fast forward to the 20th century, where the incidence of family abandonment got too great for societies to bear, so divorce became easier. The social stigma of kids coming from broken homes was removed, and suddenly the Social Marriage is left as nothing but a hollow symbol of this-is-the- person-who-makes-me-happy-at-the-present-moment.
"And that, my friends, is a Brief History of the Social Contract of Marriage.
"God's idea of marriage is so different that the two are unrecognizable. The only reason why we think they are the same is that we have the same word for them. But that's because our words confuse us."
"Marriage has always been a social contract. Always. It's always been about who gets your stuff.
When Og and Grog were fighting for who was gonna lead the tribe down the river to the next cave, whoever won would need to ensure that if they got eaten by a mountain lion, that their kid would be the next in line to keep the tribe moving. Marriage solves that problem.
"So, in a way, marriage has always been about social status and economic distribution. We see this throughout history. Do you really have this false notion that monogamy was ever really practiced? We've got loads of evidence, even Biblically, about concubines and prostitutes and little boys and all sorts of fornication that is the hallmark of humanity. But of all the pre-Legal Trust societies, marriage made sure that your cash and your credit got passed down.
"This is because a society could always tell what baby came out of what woman. That kid popped out of her womb. But the daddy? You can never really tell. Does this kid have a claim to Locutus's sword? Or to Zoltar's 100 head of oxen? Without marriage, it would have been one bloody mess trying to figure that out.
"The only historical blip on marriage was Jesus Christ, who came along and introduced strict monogamy. You were supposed to have only your wife. 'What the hell?!' the people said. 'I can't have my wife and have my fun with that loose Samaritan chick that sometimes goes to the well?' 'No,' Jesus said, 'because if you do, you've broken your vow not just on this social compact, but also before God, and therefore you lose your right to your stuff, because God gave you the stuff.'
"That was one of the reasons why they so wanted Him dead. 'We gotta get rid of this guy! It's OK if he heals the sick but now he's talking about our STUFF!'
"Am I starting to sound like a George Carlin routine? That's OK. Carlin was a spot-on guy. Although it is funny to mention Jesus and George in the same breath.
"But I digress: this is really why St Valentine was marrying people in secret around 300AD. The Emperor didn't like people marrying because then someone would have secret claim to whatever stuff the people would have after they died in far-off countries trying to expand the empire.
"The idea of monogamy (which is God's marriage, which is different that this social idea of marriage, but that's a different rant) is what became solemnized with social marriage with the rise of European countries as a world influence. Still, though, throughout the Dark Ages and even the Renaissance, the idea of marriage was basically that this is the woman who you say to the world this is who I'm doing it with, and your other lovers you just keep in the dark. Any kids from the lovers never got a cent - imagine that! No child support - nothing! - they had to go out and make it on their own. Why do you think William the Bastard was able to change his name to William the Conqueror in 1066?
"Christian pastors today think that the beginning of the end of Traditional Marriage (which, by the way, is this confusion between God's marriage and Human Marriage) began with the Enlightenment. Man, do pastors HATE the Enlightenment. Still, though, that's yet ANOTHER rant.
"Me, I think the true end for Trad Marriage is the Romantic Poets. Why? You may ask, How can these proto-hippies be so bad for marriage. Well, it's because they introduced the idea that you were actually supposed to LOVE the person you're married to.
"The whole idea behind marriage up until right before the 20th Century is that you marry someone, have kids, the kids get your stuff, and maybe you will find love with that person, or at the very least find a way to tolerate them for the rest of your life. Either way, the women get economic security, the man gets regular meals and social status and the kids aren't sent away to live in the woods with the mountain lions. Period.
"Then all this ROMANCE comes along, and marriage is infused with this 'you MUST fall in love' Now, that's OK by me. Took me three tries but I finally did it. What I'm saying is that this breaks down the SOCIAL contract of marriage and makes it a romantic contract. While this was probably intended to be closer to God's Marriage (which again, is separate and distinct), it actually paved the way for divorce. Because a contract can not change hearts or help you through the bad times.
"Fast forward to the 20th century, where the incidence of family abandonment got too great for societies to bear, so divorce became easier. The social stigma of kids coming from broken homes was removed, and suddenly the Social Marriage is left as nothing but a hollow symbol of this-is-the- person-who-makes-me-happy-at-the-present-moment.
"And that, my friends, is a Brief History of the Social Contract of Marriage.
"God's idea of marriage is so different that the two are unrecognizable. The only reason why we think they are the same is that we have the same word for them. But that's because our words confuse us."
Overheard at the Counter: Roof and Pinckney
Verble, at the counter, on this Saturday morning, saying,
"When the President at the eulogy yesterday said that the Lord works in mysterious ways, it got the natural callback response from the congregation. To me, it sounded disingenuous, somewhat hollow, like he knew his audience and he knew how to speak to them, what terms to use - but then, he's a politician. Knowing what to say to what people currently in his vicinity, that's his job. And he does it well.
"Still though, he is right. The Lord does work in mysterious ways, and while we try to wrap our heads around why a 21 year old white boy with no obvious direction in life would want to slaughter old black men and women, in a church, during a Bible study, we have to remember that while the Lord works in mysterious ways, evil works in obvious ways.
"Clementa Pinckney had a calling to serve the Lord from the age of 13. He pastored his own small church at the age of 17. He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives at 23 and the State Senate at 27. (Now don't correct me if I'm off a year or two on the relative ages, OK?) But it just surprises me how Dylann Roof will never, I repeat NEVER, have the opportunity to work in that level of government and possibly do real good for the people of the state of South Carolina.
"All Dylann Roof has assigned his life to is a picture of a mangy-dog, feral white boy, holding a gun and a Confederate battle flag. Clementa Pinckney leaves behind a wealth of accomplishments, a series of sermons, and contemporaries in public service who can say they were better off for having known this man.
"For me, I wish, fiercely wish, that while Dylann Roof had been sitting there for that hour on that Thursday in June, listening to Bible study, that the words he heard would have entered his heart, softened his resolve, and yes, I don't imagine he would have rushed into the arms of the people saying 'I'm saved I'm saved' because that's just fairy stories, but instead, he would have realized that these were holy people serving a holy God, and that he had no cause to take their lives, and that he would have just walked right out that door.
"But God allowed him to murder and slaughter people in prayer, and we have to ask why. We as a culture don't even ask that question any more. We instead fight about guns and flags, which is like fighting over the color of the band-aid instead of staunching the flow of blood from the hand that's been severed from the wrist.
"But where was I? Oh yeah! The only reason why God would have allowed that is because He has something even greater in mind. The choices we make are our own, and we have full responsibility, but I think there are things we will never know. Mysterious ways.
"Dylann Roof is not saved, I think we are all safe to say that. But what if, just what if, when he's spending the rest of his life in prison - and by the way, wouldn't it be just delicious justice if he gets an all Black jury? Man, that though just makes me chuckle! - but imagine if, while he's spending his life, he starts to listen to Pinckney's sermons? What if he starts learning about the history of the AME church? What if he does get saved? What if he then writes a biography of Pinckney? What if, in that way, he immortalizes the man whom he killed?
"I know, that sounds like fantasy, and maybe won't happen. But maybe it will. Only God knows and only time will tell.
"I like to think more that this is plausible: the church reopened and I hear tell that thousands filled the park across the street for the eulogies and services. The people in those crowds were motivated to go to Charleston out of a sense of solidarity and compassion for fallen, decent people. I truly believe that, somewhere in that crowd, is one person, just one person, who needed to have that spark to realize the truth about salvation through Jesus Christ, and will commit their lives to God, and then, when they shuffle off this mortal coil, will be with Reverend Pinckney and the other victims, dancing with our Father in Heaven.
"But then, you will ask, 'God let nine people be slaughtered to save one?' and I will tell you, 'Remember, that's ten saved souls.'
"Mysterious ways."
"When the President at the eulogy yesterday said that the Lord works in mysterious ways, it got the natural callback response from the congregation. To me, it sounded disingenuous, somewhat hollow, like he knew his audience and he knew how to speak to them, what terms to use - but then, he's a politician. Knowing what to say to what people currently in his vicinity, that's his job. And he does it well.
"Still though, he is right. The Lord does work in mysterious ways, and while we try to wrap our heads around why a 21 year old white boy with no obvious direction in life would want to slaughter old black men and women, in a church, during a Bible study, we have to remember that while the Lord works in mysterious ways, evil works in obvious ways.
"Clementa Pinckney had a calling to serve the Lord from the age of 13. He pastored his own small church at the age of 17. He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives at 23 and the State Senate at 27. (Now don't correct me if I'm off a year or two on the relative ages, OK?) But it just surprises me how Dylann Roof will never, I repeat NEVER, have the opportunity to work in that level of government and possibly do real good for the people of the state of South Carolina.
"All Dylann Roof has assigned his life to is a picture of a mangy-dog, feral white boy, holding a gun and a Confederate battle flag. Clementa Pinckney leaves behind a wealth of accomplishments, a series of sermons, and contemporaries in public service who can say they were better off for having known this man.
"For me, I wish, fiercely wish, that while Dylann Roof had been sitting there for that hour on that Thursday in June, listening to Bible study, that the words he heard would have entered his heart, softened his resolve, and yes, I don't imagine he would have rushed into the arms of the people saying 'I'm saved I'm saved' because that's just fairy stories, but instead, he would have realized that these were holy people serving a holy God, and that he had no cause to take their lives, and that he would have just walked right out that door.
"But God allowed him to murder and slaughter people in prayer, and we have to ask why. We as a culture don't even ask that question any more. We instead fight about guns and flags, which is like fighting over the color of the band-aid instead of staunching the flow of blood from the hand that's been severed from the wrist.
"But where was I? Oh yeah! The only reason why God would have allowed that is because He has something even greater in mind. The choices we make are our own, and we have full responsibility, but I think there are things we will never know. Mysterious ways.
"Dylann Roof is not saved, I think we are all safe to say that. But what if, just what if, when he's spending the rest of his life in prison - and by the way, wouldn't it be just delicious justice if he gets an all Black jury? Man, that though just makes me chuckle! - but imagine if, while he's spending his life, he starts to listen to Pinckney's sermons? What if he starts learning about the history of the AME church? What if he does get saved? What if he then writes a biography of Pinckney? What if, in that way, he immortalizes the man whom he killed?
"I know, that sounds like fantasy, and maybe won't happen. But maybe it will. Only God knows and only time will tell.
"I like to think more that this is plausible: the church reopened and I hear tell that thousands filled the park across the street for the eulogies and services. The people in those crowds were motivated to go to Charleston out of a sense of solidarity and compassion for fallen, decent people. I truly believe that, somewhere in that crowd, is one person, just one person, who needed to have that spark to realize the truth about salvation through Jesus Christ, and will commit their lives to God, and then, when they shuffle off this mortal coil, will be with Reverend Pinckney and the other victims, dancing with our Father in Heaven.
"But then, you will ask, 'God let nine people be slaughtered to save one?' and I will tell you, 'Remember, that's ten saved souls.'
"Mysterious ways."
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Overheard at Table One: Who?
Amanda: Was is Jay-Z I heard attacked a guy with a stanchion?
Ronnie: What's a stanchion?
Amanda: Those things that make lines. Like the lines you wait in. You know, they stand straight up and you hook the velvet ropes to?
Ronnie: Cool. How'd you know that word?
Amanda: Because I just had to order some for the branch. Had to Google 'em to find out what they were.
Ronnie: Cool. And no. It wasn't Jay-Z. It was Kanye West, I think.
Amanda: Which one's married to Katy Perry?
Ronnie: Neither one. Russell Brand was married to Katy Petty but I think they split up. P Diddy is married to J-Lo.
Amanda: I thought some Cuban guy was married to J-Lo.
Ronnie: Hell, girl, EVERYbody's been married to J-Lo.
Amanda: True. So true.
Ronnie: What's a stanchion?
Amanda: Those things that make lines. Like the lines you wait in. You know, they stand straight up and you hook the velvet ropes to?
Ronnie: Cool. How'd you know that word?
Amanda: Because I just had to order some for the branch. Had to Google 'em to find out what they were.
Ronnie: Cool. And no. It wasn't Jay-Z. It was Kanye West, I think.
Amanda: Which one's married to Katy Perry?
Ronnie: Neither one. Russell Brand was married to Katy Petty but I think they split up. P Diddy is married to J-Lo.
Amanda: I thought some Cuban guy was married to J-Lo.
Ronnie: Hell, girl, EVERYbody's been married to J-Lo.
Amanda: True. So true.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Overheard at Table 1: Cops, Blacks, Whites, Pool Parties
Billy: That cop resigned.
Joe: What cop?
Jim: The one in McKinney.
Bob: McKinney where?
Billy: McKinney Texas
Joe: What for?
Jim: For the pool party.
Bob: What pool party?
Billy: The pool party in McKinney Texas. Where you been, boy?
Joe: Here, mostly.
Jim: And there, some.
Bob: And roundabouts, mostly.
Billy: OK. That's settled then.
Joe: What?
Jim: I don't know.
Bob: The cop who resigned?
Billy: No. Where you all been.
Joe: So why did he resign over a pool party?
Jim: Pulled his gun on some kids.
Bob: Why'd he do that?
Billy: Probably because they were black.
Joe: I heard they were fighting.
Jim: Fighting with who?
Bob: Fighting with WHOM?
Billy: Yeah, them too.
Joe: They were fighting with the residents of the pool.
Jim: The people at the pool party said the black kids didn't belong there.
Billy: Ah. So it was the white neighbors who called the cops on the black kids?
Joe: Seems like it.
Jim: Sounds to me like the white people need to resign.
Bob: They have resigned. They've resigned themselves to calling the cops whenever black skin touches their white water.
Billy: Sad.
Joe: That's Texas for you.
Jim: Or America.
Bob: Looks to me like it's gonna be a looooooong hot summer.
Joe: What cop?
Jim: The one in McKinney.
Bob: McKinney where?
Billy: McKinney Texas
Joe: What for?
Jim: For the pool party.
Bob: What pool party?
Billy: The pool party in McKinney Texas. Where you been, boy?
Joe: Here, mostly.
Jim: And there, some.
Bob: And roundabouts, mostly.
Billy: OK. That's settled then.
Joe: What?
Jim: I don't know.
Bob: The cop who resigned?
Billy: No. Where you all been.
Joe: So why did he resign over a pool party?
Jim: Pulled his gun on some kids.
Bob: Why'd he do that?
Billy: Probably because they were black.
Joe: I heard they were fighting.
Jim: Fighting with who?
Bob: Fighting with WHOM?
Billy: Yeah, them too.
Joe: They were fighting with the residents of the pool.
Jim: The people at the pool party said the black kids didn't belong there.
Billy: Ah. So it was the white neighbors who called the cops on the black kids?
Joe: Seems like it.
Jim: Sounds to me like the white people need to resign.
Bob: They have resigned. They've resigned themselves to calling the cops whenever black skin touches their white water.
Billy: Sad.
Joe: That's Texas for you.
Jim: Or America.
Bob: Looks to me like it's gonna be a looooooong hot summer.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Overheard at Table 1: Tired of the Duggars
You know what? I'm tired of hearing about the Duggars, and mainly it's not the whole son-molester bit, but I really get torqued when I read all this smack about the Duggar woman being all ANTI-feminism by asking girls to dress nice. Like all us Christian women are so uptight and moral and have no sex and don't want anyone to enjoy it or whatever. Look, I'm a Christian woman and I LOVE sex! Sex is fantAStic and I thank HOLY GOD, but if I could write for one of these magazines, I'd say this...
I'd tell 'em, listen. I'm not for what this Duggar woman does, with the no-fixing-up-your hair and the Pentecostal jeanskirts, but listen, my daughter's about ready to wrap up her senior year in high school and this year has been HOLY HELL living with her! She needs to be saving up money for college, because we can foot the bill for the classes but we just can't afford the dorms. But instead of saving any money for her dorms, she just went out and blew $256 on disposable contact lenses.... DISPOSABLE! These things won't last her 6 months!
And the clothes she suddenly got into this year! Oh - my - GOD! I'm all for free expression, but we've had some serious conversations over these skirts she's wearing. It's like she's put a sign right across her butt saying TOUCH THIS.
Again, we were never like the Amish and I'd never be for putting our girls in burkas or anything, but there is a point where modesty comes into play here. You know, less is more, right? Well, she's showing more and more and she looks less and less classy.
So on that level, yeah, I'll admit, I agree with the Duggar woman. Not saying that any woman deserves what she gets, because that's a load of crap, but at some point there has to be a balance between looking good and looking cheap. It's called modesty. Doesn't mean you're wrapped up head to foot, it just means you wear clothes that are nice, nice fitting, nice compliment to the shape, and not have your T-n-A spilling out all over the floor!
I'd tell 'em, listen. I'm not for what this Duggar woman does, with the no-fixing-up-your hair and the Pentecostal jeanskirts, but listen, my daughter's about ready to wrap up her senior year in high school and this year has been HOLY HELL living with her! She needs to be saving up money for college, because we can foot the bill for the classes but we just can't afford the dorms. But instead of saving any money for her dorms, she just went out and blew $256 on disposable contact lenses.... DISPOSABLE! These things won't last her 6 months!
And the clothes she suddenly got into this year! Oh - my - GOD! I'm all for free expression, but we've had some serious conversations over these skirts she's wearing. It's like she's put a sign right across her butt saying TOUCH THIS.
Again, we were never like the Amish and I'd never be for putting our girls in burkas or anything, but there is a point where modesty comes into play here. You know, less is more, right? Well, she's showing more and more and she looks less and less classy.
So on that level, yeah, I'll admit, I agree with the Duggar woman. Not saying that any woman deserves what she gets, because that's a load of crap, but at some point there has to be a balance between looking good and looking cheap. It's called modesty. Doesn't mean you're wrapped up head to foot, it just means you wear clothes that are nice, nice fitting, nice compliment to the shape, and not have your T-n-A spilling out all over the floor!
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
At the Counter: Discussing Lyle Lovett's "Baltimore"
At the
Counter
Discussing
Lyle Lovett’s Baltimore
Baltimore
Lyle Lovett
I know I've seen this place before
Lord can't you hear me screaming
As a young man long ago
When I was twenty-one
And I know I've seen this house before
With people all around it
With my baby cousin on the floor
And Mama in the kitchen
And a woman lies upon the bed
I think she must be dying
And I recall the words she said
As she began to cry
She begged son please don't go to Baltimore
And leave me where I'm lying
For you will son but I no more
Walk among the living
And if you go to Baltimore
Then I'll see you in heaven
And as you breathe I'll breathe no more
And I will surely die
Well you know I went to Baltimore
So confident and wise
And as I breathed she breathed no more
And she did surely die
And now as I lie upon my bed
I pray I must be dreaming
With faces all around my head
And strangers at my door
And a woman's voice calls out to me
Bring unto you your children
And let them see these things you see
And hear the words you say
Beg them to go to Baltimore
And leave you where you're lying
Just like you did one time before
When you were twenty-one
And if they go to Baltimore
Then I'll see you in heaven
And as they breathe you'll breathe no more
And you will surely die
And I know I've seen this place before
Lord can't you hear me screaming
And if I should awaken Lord
Then answer me my plea
What makes the sun set in the west
And birds fly in the sky
And what makes a woman beat her breast
When her children start to cry
And what makes those little ones grow old
To find eternity
And what takes the wise
And leaves behind
A foolish one like me
Lord can't you hear me screaming
As a young man long ago
When I was twenty-one
And I know I've seen this house before
With people all around it
With my baby cousin on the floor
And Mama in the kitchen
And a woman lies upon the bed
I think she must be dying
And I recall the words she said
As she began to cry
She begged son please don't go to Baltimore
And leave me where I'm lying
For you will son but I no more
Walk among the living
And if you go to Baltimore
Then I'll see you in heaven
And as you breathe I'll breathe no more
And I will surely die
Well you know I went to Baltimore
So confident and wise
And as I breathed she breathed no more
And she did surely die
And now as I lie upon my bed
I pray I must be dreaming
With faces all around my head
And strangers at my door
And a woman's voice calls out to me
Bring unto you your children
And let them see these things you see
And hear the words you say
Beg them to go to Baltimore
And leave you where you're lying
Just like you did one time before
When you were twenty-one
And if they go to Baltimore
Then I'll see you in heaven
And as they breathe you'll breathe no more
And you will surely die
And I know I've seen this place before
Lord can't you hear me screaming
And if I should awaken Lord
Then answer me my plea
What makes the sun set in the west
And birds fly in the sky
And what makes a woman beat her breast
When her children start to cry
And what makes those little ones grow old
To find eternity
And what takes the wise
And leaves behind
A foolish one like me
Verble says:
Hearing
about what’s happening in Baltimore shed a new light on this song by Lyle
Lovett for me. The song, as written, is
lyrically in the style of old British and Irish ballads that recount lovers or
sons moving away, usually to seek a life in a new world across the sea. At this time, with these incidents of
violence, especially blamed upon rioters who have come from out of town, the
narrator of this song seems like it could be one of those instigators of
violence, who is heading to Baltimore to cause violence, leaving behind his
dying mother.
In the second
half of the song, the narrator, later in life, reflects on the choice he made
and all about how the cycle repeats itself.
Again, the original song reflected on the loneliness which we leave our
loved ones is the same loneliness in which they will leave us, but in the new
rendition, it speaks to how violence is a never ending cycle, and we are left
to wonder, decades from now, in what city will these fires burn again?
…
My friend,
MR, has penned this little poem and left it on the counter here at the Z&T:
The
Streets of Baltimore
The streets
of Baltimore are quiet tonight.
The curfew is
holding.
The shop
windows that were shattered
stand patched
with slabs of chipwood.
The streets
of Baltimore are quiet tonight,
a hushed
moment,
stilled with
the people all holding their breath.
MR
2015-0429
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