Incredible!
Here I am, making reference to my buddy, Henry
(Earlier in the week) when who should
Literally drop by on my front lawn just before
I go out to pick up the paper , this morning?
Henry's brother, William—renown psychologist and
Philosopher—honored as one of early twentieth century’s
Most prominent liberals, and I think to myself
How could such a miracle happen in such a timely fashion?
Oh wait! If you believe that angels have
Supersonic Hearing so as to go where they’re most needed then
I’ll bet my pal, Henry—upon hearing that his brother, Bill (not to be
Confused with my husband Will or The Bard) planned to
Wing on down to see how twenty-first century liberals were
Faring—chose to tag along in hopes of encouraging one of
Yesteryear’s most eminent political liberals to honor me with
A visit, and being that Henry has a way with words, Bill landed on
My front lawn in the esteemed company of
Columnist Michael Gerson, who has recently been seen
Hanging out on The Opinions page of my daily newspaper
As you can imagine, I happily invite my guests in for
A cup of ‘joe’. (See what surfaces once my brain is
Given down time from diving into the darker depths of
My past—my sense of humor—which keeps my super serious
Inner detective entertained while my think tank
Relaxes tension that coils up each time strings of inter-related
Insights are channeling laboriously through darkness toward daylight)
At any rate, once Henry accomplishes his mission, he tosses me
A wink and begs his leave mumbling something about
Not being late for a very important date as The Bard’s casting call for
His most recent heaven sent revival is, today, and try outs are
About to get started, up above (I mean, what did you think?
That angels just flit around saving people from disparaging themselves?
No Siree! Angels have many talents that remained undeveloped
During their brief sojourn on Earth, and now that
Hurrying and scurrying is a thing of his past, Henry has chosen to
Compete against Socrates for the part of Puck, figuring that
If a little guy like Rooney could be convincing in that
Role just imagine the impact of a literary giant!) Anyhow,
Henry has tired of his lifetime of serious plot lines
And, feeling hot to leap into a new line of work with both feet, he
Having felt need to closet his true sexual orientation throughout
His lifetime, believes that immersion within one of
The Bard’s farces may offer his spirit a much needed
Lift, so, choosing to take a huge leap of faith, up he goes into
The wild blue yonder leaving Gerson to introduce himself and
Bill to me (unaware that I’d made Bill’s acquaintance in more than
One biography dedicated to the life and literary genius of
His kid brother, Henry). Upon leading these two toward
My kitchen table where both are comfortably seated, I happily
Pour steaming hot cups of ‘Joe’, all around, while finding myself
Thirsting to drink in Gerson’s study of Bill (as a brilliant scientist, whose
Spirit’s transparency illuminates sound reason for me to agree with
His belief that “Evolution had left humanity with an appetite for
Heroic exertion and aggression that made history (in
Bill’s own words) ‘a bath of blood’”
As Bill did not expect to hear his words echoing
Throughout my kitchen, he reddens a bit before attempting
To lighten up a conversation headed straight for
The dark side by saying: If I was alive, today
My support of a “reign of peace and some sort of
A socialistic equilibrium” would likely cast me as—but
Before he can finish his train of thought
Gerson beats him to the punchline—you’d be
“The 246th Democratic Presidential Candidate, today ...!”
Clearly, these two are birds of a feather, perching upon
The same mental wavelength, though Bill’s spirit has had to
Fly from yesteryear’s point on the historical timeline straight
Across more than a century to land at the exact spot that
Pinpoints today—I mean, it's only smart to zoom back and forth when
Historical scholars, acknowledging that two heads are better than
One, converse in hopes of gaining an ever deepening
Perspective of yesteryear's domino affect upon
Cultural, societal, and political developments in need of
Insight laden change for the better, today
As for me, I yearn to contribute to their conversation, but
My processor has not yet stopped reeling from feeling
Thunderstruck at being in the company of these brainiacs until
Finally, much to my relief, I ‘find’ my self assertive voice
Conversing ever more securely than ever before with
Minds that thrive while engaging freely in
Discourse concerning ideas that exist on the same
Political wavelength as mine until Bill, conjuring up
trump inside his mind, suggests our need to consider that—
“Showing ... irrationality and horror is fascinating”
Once I hear his take on human nature, my mouth
Opens so as to freely disagree—irrationality and
Horror are most certainly not fascinating to me!
In fact, there's very little in life that I find more abhorrent than
Both of those aberrant states of mind, which so often lead to
Spousal and child abuse—at that point, Bill, nodding
Gravely in agreement, goes on to say “... war is
The strong life in extremis...thousands of years of
Peace won’t breed it out of us.”
I’m about to bring up both sides of human nature when
Gerson interjects with, “This presents liberals with a challenge—
Denying this human reality is irrational ...”
At this, I consider Bill’s impassioned response—
“Where is the savage yes and no ... the unconditional
Duty ... the conscription ... liberalization needs better
Substitutes for glory and shame”
Hey! I hear my impassioned voice pipe up—what of
A collective vision of civic passion?
What? blurts out Gerson, I just quoted those very words as
Attributed to the depths of Bill’s perceptiveness!
Hmmm, I reply, feeling my spirit deflate—guess I must
Have read, absorbed and digested those words so wholly in
Your column, today, as to have mistaken them as my own.
And with that said, I apologize profusely, knowing that
A writer’s words are much more than his/her main source of
Livelihood—in fact, scribes copy write their words before
Releasing them on loan to the world at large, being that
Every pearl released has been labored over from within
The inner sanctum of ‘their’ souls.
Thank goodness, Bill, who must have taken Henry’s
Sensitivity to heart concerning the harshness with which
The self disparaging side of human nature whips
Our personal sense of dignity so sharply as to morph into
Humiliation that festers so painfully as to feel utterly raw—
I say this, because the brother of my favorite author helps me to
Remove my hair shirt followed by salving my oozing
Embarrassment with these soothing words: I’m honored to
Know that your think tank unconsciously pilfered a vision as
Being your own that was actually mine, and as
Bill’s humility summons my own, I find my smile, which
Swallows up all sensations of burning humiliation that
Threatened to overwhelm my smarts, and
In addition to gratitude, I feel relieved that
Bill didn't tack ‘little lady’ on at the end, because gallantry or not
Had he 'patted me on the head', my restored sense of self respect
Would have taken a direct hit, leaving me no choice other than to
Challenge him to a gender based duel of the wits, and
Glancing around the table with objectivity intact, I surmise that
At my processor's present level of working laboriously to
Give birth to strings of pearls until my think tank runs out of
Steam suggests that the experiential set of
Intuitive powers gathered at my table has very likely
Climbed many rungs above my own, so thank goodness
My prideful ego is saved, first by humility dousing humiliation and
Then by my back door bell! Upon rising from my chair, who should
I spy standing there, looking like Mr. Brooks Brothers himself, but—
Joe Biden, sporting a look of chagrin on his face that matches mine
And within the next minute or two, his seamless apology sweeps
Mine into the past as he wisely cuts to the chase, acknowledging that
Considering the sorry state of today’s world, we have no time to
Spare on chit chat, so without any hesitation, Joe admits to
Cutting across my back lawn while striding toward
The walking path connecting hikers with the mountain trail seen
Rising, directly behind my house, and when I ask—what's with
The well tailored suit and silk tie, he, holding onto his hiking
Boots by their laces, shakes his head and
Replies—I know. I know. So much to accomplish, so little
Time to costume myself appropriately for every activity
Throughout the day—I can exercise in a suit but not stand at
A podium, looking presidential in sweats, and without wasting
So much as a second, Joe suggests that while making his way
Across my back yard, his antenna picked up on our
Titivating conversation filtering through my screen door
And feeling compelled to hear more, he waved his entourage
Ahead—sooo, as everything he said made as much sense to me as
Finding The James brothers and Gerson on my front lawn when
I’d gone out to pick up my morning paper, naturally, I invite
Joe to take a seat at our round table, hoping to offer him
The same degree of human graciousness as had been evidenced
Within his dignified apology to me for eavesdropping, and since
My smile says—think no more about a piercing mantle of guilt adding
Weight to whatever pains your spirit, because guilt trips are not my thing—
I'm honored to offer you a cup of joe, Joe––and judging from
His facial expression, it’s plain to see that Biden feels as eager to
Jump right into our conversation at the exact point where our
Discussion had been placed on pause, so once he sits down with his
Hiking boots stowed neatly on the floor neath his chair
Our presidential hopeful’s first words are directed
Toward Bill (whose objectivity has clearly experienced
Historical hindsight from the heavenly perspective of
A bird's eye view)—So, Bill, any suggestion as to where
We go from here would be deeply appreciated—however before
William James can respond, Michael Gerson chimes in with, "trump
(As you may recall, the depths of my ire rebels against dignifying
The donald's serious lack of leadership skills by refusing to capitalize
His name) had tapped into deep rivers of pugnacity and aggression” to which
Bill, head swinging between Gerson and Biden, replies to us all, we need
“The moral equivalent of war”and with an affirmative nod of his head
The columnist goes on to surmise that trump’s “bluster and arrogance could
Easily lead America into the martial equivalent of war...”
As for me, though I’m quick to agree with all three, I do not
Consider myself so politically quick witted when pitted against
This trio as to do more than paraphrase Biden (or was it
Gerson), who said that trump’s Moral Hypocrisies have
Led his political opponents to crash into a quandary—
Based in the fact that a return to normalcy takes us
No place better than that which has been our
National experience ever since a tragic rash of
Dynamic political leaders were murdered in
Cold blood—Next thing I know (without a shadow of doubt)
GERSON jumps in with, “... he (trump) has weaponized
Resentments against outsiders in the manner of
A militarist ... conjures images of America being
Invaded by dark skinned murderers and rapists ...
Opposing trump’s dark magic with a return to
Normalcy and sanity ... will need to equal trump’s
Emotive appeal with a fighting faith—a message of
Civic passion, moral duty, shared sacrifice and
National honor.” Whew! Gerson certainly has
A way of igniting impassioned reactions with his
Choice of words! As you can imagine, word choices
Leaping back and forth across my kitchen table continue to
Inflame everyone’s natural passion for
Change for the better ASAP, so no one
Cares when coffee, cooling in half full cups, runs
Cold; in fact, suddenly, Biden’s fist strikes
My Corian table while his next insight fuels our fires even more—
“He (trump) set out a battle for the soul of this nation”
As the profundity of Biden’s battle cry sinks into
Long term memory, I turn to confer privately with Gerson, based in
The fact that my processor thirsts for more of
The columnist’s deeply considered angst-quenching perceptions
And once again he does not disappoint, so with bated breath
I hang on to his every word, which proves to be an artfully
Woven tapestry of Biden quotes—“To demonstrate that trump’s
Four years are an ‘aberrant moment’ ... to ensure that
‘Everyone is treated with dignity’ ... to reassert our
‘Core values’ ... ‘to remember who we are’—
—That is our mission impossible, right? I interject—
RIGHT! Roars ‘the left’, and during the calm following
That sudden electrical storm, the columnist makes
Sound use of his oratory platform, yet again, as would
A statesman, introducing the next
Democratic presidential candidate to the nation at
Large as if to say—Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s hear it for
Joe Biden—who, more so than any other individual of
Either gender has been personally, professionally and
Experientially readied to “Essentially ...Make America Decent again”—
Then Gerson wraps up his personal take on our nation’s most
Pressing need by locking eyes with the most recent addition to
Our round table discussion, saying—“Biden faces a difficult
Rhetorical and substantive challenge” and with the viewpoint of
The columnist clarified, Gerson and Biden consult
Their watches, simultaneously, because—well
There’s a gargantuan task ahead of the latter, and
As to the former, we all know the stresses of
Modern day time constraints—as for Bill, he glances
Upward, feeling an intuitive chill pass through
Him, as though a bud, up above, has been messaging
Need of his presence, and that leaves me, who has had
Unpacking to complete, having left it undone after returning from
Nashville, where Will and I (not to be confused
With William James or The Bard) had enjoyed a harmonic good
Ole fashioned knee slapp’in, foot stomp’in ghee-tar strumm’in time
After checking into a quintessential bed and breakfast, where
Southern hospitality welcomed us along with
Two couples, treasured friends from college—Hee Haw!
As to why my unpacking was left undone? A combination of
Priorities and Fatigue—my foremost priority being a play date
With Ravi, whom I’d not seen for several days, and fatigue, based in
My advancing age, offering me reason to place organization aside in
Favor of recharging my spirit by plugging my heartfelt pleasure into
My four year old grand daughter’s endless supply of
Youthful exuberance for all aspects of life, so if you ask how
The remainder of my morning fared (before fetching Ravi at
Preschool at noon) after having experienced such an auspicious start, today—
Well, spending time with positively focused, strong spirited, high minded
Compatriots who feel as impassioned as do I about erasing trump’s
Sordid imprint from ceiling to floor, wall to wall to
Wall to wall, being careful not to miss even
One inch while cleansing our deeply revered
Oval Office of any hint of his 'baffoonist' attitudes (which
Precede decisions and behaviors) so effectively that Red Hats will
Ashamedly be trashed along with Midas’s tweets inspired my
Spirit’s self respect to take that leap of fate necessary to stand, shoulder to
Shoulder with giants without so much as a hint of darkly clouded
Self belittling Insignificance inhibiting my voice from asserting itself, and
As my belief in Biden’s ability to fill his hiking boots with
The inner strengths necessary to climb that mountain, so as to boot
trump from The Oval Office in time to save our nation from tumbling
Even further into hatred’s bottomless abyss where unresolved indecencies
Fester, on and on and on proves to be the result of my having listened
Intently to this morning’s round table discussion, I can visualize
Tomorrow’s deeply determined, unanimous plan of action (though
Quite a feat to pull off) as growing into the reality of a grassroots
Movement, sweeping across our nation like a California wildfire that’s
Ignited with a match, so if you know me at all, surely you harbor
No Doubt of the fact that The Plan Maker who resides within
My processor and believes in Leaps of Faith concerning
The positive side of human nature prevailing over the dark side, I
Feeling as if the sun will come out tomorrow, am glad to say—
Thank goodness I read The Opinions page in my daily newspaper
Today, where Michael Gerson’s piece inspired my s think tank to
Jump start its positive attitude while sipping a deeply satisfying
Cup of joe, thus inspiring my spirit to feel every bit as up beat
Throughout the rest of the day as had been true
While my processor’s imagination kept time with today’s
Harmonic quartet, whose insight laden lyrics had strummed
Away at my heartstrings (LOL!). Well, will you look at that!
Humor attests to my wearied mind resting peaceably much more than
Stressing subconsciously, and that’s change for the better, being that
trump, who hires thugs with beady little eyes and elf sized ears to
See and hear everything that relates back to him, got wind of this
Morning’s impromptu tête-à-tê, and being Commander and Chief of
Air Force One (still?) his yellow hair was seen flying in
An unswirling fashion all about his blow hard head while
His hot winded angst banged furiously against
My front door, unleashing the unruly nature of this low browed
Egomaniac, who millions elected to rule over us, one and all, and
Here he stands on my front stoop, hollering, stamping and throwing
Yet another two year old tantrum, no matter that all of his blustering
Huffing and puffing, like the big bad wolf he is, gets him nothing
Other than a beet red face until his egocentric fury at being utterly
Ignored is seen spinning on its heel, head down, bully style, so as to
Plow his horns into the hot air balloon shaped just like his buffoonish
Cartoonish self while today’s irrational President of the USA,
Tweeting of his limbic egocentricities, ends the spectacle of
Hypocrisy's rise to power into cyberspace where
Hopefully, trump's negatively focused, mean minded, widespread
Derogatory attitudes, which degrade human dignity while grinding
Universal kindness under his heavy boot will crash head on into
The strength of Biden’s re-energized, regenerative positively focused
Lightsaber that wields such sensational Jedi force when combined with
Like minds as to see the monumental clash of today’s titans actually
Split the atom anew, with this caveat: Rather than blowing up
Two cities filled with innocent families, we'll leash and muzzle trump while
Releasing storytellers to freely cycle the globe in hopes of expanding
Wholesome attitudes,here, there, everywhere, while Gandhi, being classically
Renown as the world class, self empowered pacifist who brought
The British Empire to its knees, smiles down from on high, one srm
Draped casually around the transparent shoulder of
Henry’s brother, Bill, encouraging his friend to make haste, because
The tryouts were delayed, and the next drama upon the world stage
Has yet to begin, and just as I am tidying up my kitchen, having folded
The morning newspaper upon itself, Your friend, Annie, feels
The spirit of humanistic authority ask Will James— Any chance that
“Be the change you hope for the world” is catching on, at last?
To that, my friend, BJ, replies: Seems sparse at best, and yet
I’m told that positively focused leadership keeps tweeting
Your wise choice of words to counteract trump’s—
Now, even Gandhi gets visibly heated—
I still can’t believe he was elected!
Me too! replies Bill
Me three! I call out, knowing that every voice has need to be heard
And as I am heard, Gandhi, scratching his head, queries:
What were ‘they’ thinking? To which The Miracle Worker
Helen’s mentor, replies: “They’ weren’t thinking—they were
Feeling furious and in dire need of change from being locked out of
The good old boys club, over long, not unlike
The cast from Les Miserable—at that, Bill interrupts with—
Hey, any chance Vic might stage a musical revival of
His masterpiece up here? If so, I’d like to try out my pipes—
By this point, a bit of cloud cover moves in, leaving me with
No clue as to which of my pals is still yakk’in away—all I know for
Certain is that birds of a feather flock together up there just as is true
Down here on planet Earth, and as Mister Blue Bird has just landed
On my shoulder, I’m beginning to whistle while I work
But then—that’s a whole other story ...
PS—a word to the wise—if you’ve just surmised that I chose
The pen name Annie to honor Helen Keller’s teacher for opening
A child’s eyes, ears and heart to humanity’s universal need to
Embrace the world at large with generosity of spirit, that
Would have been an admirable guess; however
Deeper truth suggests that’s not the case, so with
All due respect for Ms. Sullivan and for you, please think, again ...
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