shrink in the backward look And birds fly over a time shadows Where a private’s wish means as much as an orange Or a lazy dream in the summer air. My naïve thoughts float out to met A fantastic gleam of the gaudy sun, And a bayonet shines as I pass out the gate. Now I am outside the soldier’s hate. - Home is where I’ll hang my hat, Down the street to the little town Where the houses cater to angles And roofs swallow up race and family. Here is the place. Open the door and in. But the shine in your face is not as before. A war has come out of the war of your games And all you have left is only your name. - Up the stairs where the Indian drum hangs And into the room that was your own. Rugs on the floor glitter with color And paint on the walls has cracked And the windows add dust to your dreams. Here you slept one night and out of your face Stole the dream that would steal the world, Cities rising out of the cold sea To free an age that wants to be free. LETTER FROM THE EDITOR I feel the loneliness after death, Death that need not have been – I hear the screech of brakes, And see the muddy shoes removed, Lying beside the still form, The too-quick boy, Covered with hempen bags, Flies gathering. - It makes the heart sick, As an old moon upsets a morning sky; Or stills the heart As does the shriek of wind through chimneys, Through old cellars Through attics, Through windows, Ratting through insecure window. - I feel the loneliness after death, Death that need not have been – I hear the muffled cry of millions, The battle shriek in martial music; I hear the screen of bombs And see the small feet flying. Death That Need Not Have Been Flora Hendricks, 1939 Leave of Absence James Schevill, 1945 Be safe. Be well. Be Kind. Wear a Mask. Eric Pizzi A friend. And a fake editor for a faux newsletter, 2020 It is heartening to ‘see’ you again, en masse. Your thoughts, feelings, and humor are greatly missed by your classmates; nearly half of whom checked-in via this newsletter. A sign of camaraderie (ifn’t outright, abject loneliness & boredom). I have read all your notes. The pandemic looms large in your thoughts (duh). Its three-acts – tragic fear, isolation, and intervened conclusion – are woven throughout. While we are collectively optimistic about 2021, we recognize the work of a few – globally and among us. In our class, doctors and healthcare professionals held the line while the scientists and pharmaceutical leaders developed vaccines for longer-term safety. You are amazing. ‘Act three’ will be welcome; with renewed optimism. To the right are words about acts one and two – from another tumultuous time – to express them once collectively and embrace the better whence we meet again. Hopefully so very soon.
ericpizzi
signer
masakiokuda
florets1
takashi_toyosaki
mickey_kubo
tomonatu8
skimatalk
matleenalaakso
upura
maryang
rmw
lauravandoore
62gerente
danielanewman
holman
mza
3n
sergeychernyshev
malarkey
thekraken
jakevdp
eileencodes
