And there was nothing in the town below — Where strangers would have shut the many doors That many friends had opened long ago. Edwin Arlington Robinson. Mr. Flood’s Party.
Absalom, Absalom!
“…bearing more than they believed any bones and flesh could or should (should, yes: that would be the terrible thing: to find flesh to stand more than flesh should be asked to stand)…” (p. 254) William Faulkner. Absalom, Absalom! New York: Random House, Inc., 1936.
Invincible Summer
In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. Albert Camus
Jewish Folk Lore
“Silence is the fence around wisdom.” (p. 639) “A human being learns how to speak early, but to keep silent — late.” (p. 639) “Not that which is beautiful is loved, but rather that is beautiful which is loved.” (p. 643.) Nathan Ausubel. Jewish Folk Lore. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1948.
The Brothers Karamazov
“Your heart is better than your head.” (p. 160) “…I shall not weep from despair, but simply because I shall be happy in my tears, I shall steep my soul in emotion. I love the sticky leaves in the spring, the blue sky–that’s all it is. It’s not a matter of intellect or logic, it’s…
Manchild in the Promised Land
“…they had little hope of deliverance. For where does one run to when he’s already in the promised land?” (p. viii) “I didn’t really care, because I was just waiting and wondering–waiting till I got big enough to kick his ass and wondering if he would want to talk then. I could just see him…
holy
A holy place is determined by the person standing there, not the actual physical location. The location can help, of course. Forests and cathedrals feel holy. In nature, nothing demands immediate attention. It is and I enjoy. In European cathedrals, centuries of prayer, of supplication, brushed my body and settled like a shawl around me….
so happy together
“I want you to listen to this and see how it sounds,” she said. The man folded up his newspaper, crossed his legs — right over left — to orient his body towards hers, put his arm along the back of her seat, playfully bit the shoulder of her jacket, and turned his face to…
notes on nana and grandpa chuck
Memories Seeing Nana rest her head on Grandpa’s shoulder. Grandpa so proud. Stayed up when “company” was there, wouldn’t use the baby (oxygen) or snake killer (walking stick). Didn’t want to sit in the “crip” seats in church (padded seats in front for the “cripples”), but was OK with it when Nana needed to sit…
nana
Nana didn’t leave home thinking she’d never be back. She thought she’d be coming home. At the end, she didn’t give a damn — she was so tired and the pain too great. And the fantastic part about it is that she didn’t need to come back (home) because she didn’t have anything to hide,…