Praise song for the tedium.

Before we were cheering, standing in crowds, waving our flags, talking to the media or not, about to smile or smiling. All about us was jubilation. All about us was happiness and celebration, triumph and glory, each one of our children rapt with attention. Someone was waving a flag, someone was saluting, clapping, listening quietly at words that were meaningful.

But now someone is trying to speak with stilted words and blatant metaphors, with monotone, with robotic voice.

A woman and her son start walking for the bus.

An office worker turns off the TV.

Robert Frost rolls over in his grave.

A hired security guard starts checking his watch. A teacher mutters, “Pull out your pencil. Rewrite.”

We start talking in loud words, words ignoring the speaker, words harsh and justified, about words that will not be remembered.

We cross the mall and pass monuments that mark real achievements, and hear remembered, eloquent words, “I have a dream.”

We need to find a place that is warm. We need to hear Volgon poetry to cleanse our minds.

Say it plain, that Justice Roberts could have read this poem better. Sing the praises of poets before, Angelou, Frost, Miller, who have inspired our thoughts, lifted our dreams, written words that are lasting.

Praise song for monotone? Praise song for robotic voice? Praise song for this ending, the dissecting it in English classes.

Some say, “It was passable.”

Some say, “I missed it.”

Others say, “Give it a chance.”

What if the final word is tedium, tedium beyond the metaphor, robotic voice, the nervousness. Tedium that comes from the text itself. Tedium without malice.

In today’s sharp analysis and youtube replays, any poet would have been better, any drivel, any high-flown rhetoric.

On the edge? On my nerves, on the road -- Praise song for it being over.

So our church used book sale, which I'm largely coordinating, started today.  I've had complaints from members about 1) the fact that I chose to do the sale in the social hall rather than the religious education (RE) building because it interferes with coffee hour (my reasons:  it's larger, it interferes less with RE, and members can shop while they drink their coffee) and 2) the prices I set (0.50 paberback, 1.00 trade paperback, 1.50 hardcover).  But the sale started off well with about ten people arriving as soon as the doors were opened.  They all seemed pleased with our organization and with the quality and quantity.  And the people shopping all said our prices seemed reasonable (maybe TOO reasonable, I think).

The first woman in the doors actually arrived at ten before the hour that the sale was scheduled to start, but I said, sure, go ahead and look.  She promptly started throwing all the general fiction trade paperbacks into boxes, and took nearly all of them.  She then went to get her shopping cart and came back in with it.  Meanwhile, other shoppers were arriving and starting to shop as well.

Then one shopper says to me, "You should have a policy against scanners." 
( Read more... )
P.S.  I was trying to put a lj cut in here and trying to put a poll in here, and it keeps messing up.  So if they're showing or not showing and it's irritating either way, I apologize.  Meanwhile, I was trying to ask what you all think about whether or not scanning books should be allowed at used book sales.

"'It would have been nice if more people would have turned out other than Calhoun County,'' said Renier, a Munith organic farmer, referring to her opponent's home county.  'I believe people are sheeples and they will go wherever they think the feed is the sweetest. They will stand out in the rain, but they don't realize that the big bad wolf is coming and that's too bad for them.''"

Hmm.... wonder why more people didn't vote for a woman who clearly respects her would-be constituents and makes such clear metaphors.

Today's a primary election, with ballot issues, too, for us.  So this is to tell you all to remember to vote!