tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3020960402708303830.post642593455958081556..comments2024-03-28T14:53:38.827-04:00Comments on BLCKDGRD: I Won't Tell You Where It Is, So Why Do I Tell You Anything?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3020960402708303830.post-67207303637022964362018-11-07T14:59:20.225-05:002018-11-07T14:59:20.225-05:000)that's a good-looking photo of a good-lookin...0)that's a good-looking photo of a good-looking cat<br /><br />1)i too voted for the next montgomery county executive - wtop radio said there was a "bitter end" to the bitter county executive race - personally, though, i am at peace with it<br /><br />2)as i am at peace with the way the national elections turned out - coulda been better, coulda been worse<br /><br />3)i look forward to paying less attention to the aaargh - i have other pastimes, fortunately, and each day i have more mistakes behind me and less time ahead of me<br /><br /><br />4)here's something by <b>james tate </b>- the line breaks may not be in the places he intended - i copied it without explicit permission, and i don't think i am the first to have done so<br /><br /><br /><b>THE WRONG DOOR</b><br /><br />It wasn’t the door I was looking for, but I opened it anyway. I started walking down a long hallway. There was no one in it. There was a series of offices which seemed to be empty. The only noise anywhere was my footsteps. <br /><br />At the farthest end of the hall a man suddenly appeared. He started walking toward me and my instinct told me to run, but I didn’t. I stopped and waited for him. When he finally reached me, he said, “We’ve been waiting for you. You are warmly welcomed.” “Thank you,” I said, “I am most eager to join you.” “Follow me, kind sir,” he said. We walked down the long hall. “In here,” he said. <br /><br />We entered an office. Twelve men, all formally dressed, stood and gave me an ovation. I bowed to them. “You see,” said my guide, “they all love you.” “I’m deeply flattered,” I said. The truth was I was baffled and certain this was one big mistake. “We want you to become one of us, to become a member of the Holy Alliance. What do you say, will you do it?” he said. All the members were smiling at me. “But I don’t really know what the Holy Alliance is,” I said. “Well, we believe we have been chosen by God to bring order and justice to the community, and every now and then we have a party,” he said. “I need to step outside and think about it,” I said. I moved rather quickly to the door and started running down the hallway. I made it to the door and stepped outside. <br /><br />There were crowds of people on the sidewalk and I wove in and out of them as quickly as I could. A man in a wheelchair grabbed my hand as I tried to pass him. “Have you seen my canary? He flew out my window this morning,” he said. “No, I haven’t seen your canary, but I will keep an eye out for him and try to catch him if I do. I’ll bring him back to you, you can count on that,” I said. “I knew I could trust you. God bless you,” he said. I wrenched my hand free and raced on. A while later, I did spot a canary, but it was perched on the top branch of a tall maple, too far from me. I stared at it and tried to hypnotize it. It was looking right at me. I took a step toward it, then another. <br /><br />A man walked by and grabbed it right off the bush and stuck it in his pocket. “Hey, that’s my bird,” I said. He was walking fast and didn’t even look back at me.<br /><br />5)"the wrong door" is from tate's collection "the ghost soldiers" - an associative link to adrienne rich's phrase "ghost-ridden crossroads"<br /><br />5a)and speaking of the necessity "to talk about trees" - how does the canary get from the "top branch of a tall maple" to a "bush" where a passerby can grab it? <br /><br />mistah charley, ph.d.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06303695341246058680noreply@blogger.com