Soundtrack and Video: Johnny Cash, “Hurt” Tereus wakes up, dry-mouthed, bile rising in his throat. He’s tied to the split-rail fence surrounding the stable yard. His arms and legs are spread wide, and he’s slightly bent at the waist, cheek pressed against a rough wooden beam. His bonds are cruelly tight. It’s exhausting to support his […]
Things are really tough now. When things are hard — personally or as a city or nation — it’s almost a relief to retreat into cynicism or hopelessness or blame. I hear it a lot from people around me. Everything from, “It’s too hard to wear a mask,” to “I’m done with this country. I’m sick […]
The cellar is lit by a single candle. It’s small — perhaps 10’ x 10’. Three of the four walls are lined with shelves stocked with canned food. There are sacks of potatoes and onions half-buried in one corner. Lavinia, Camilla and Claudius have burrowed down among the potatoes. Valerius is stretched out on the […]
Things that did my heart good today: I keep yapping about how New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the perfect, gruff dad for his state and the nation. It’s because it’s true. Today, a long, impassioned and canny speech about how political change happens. Dad says, You’re pissed. You’re right to be pissed. Here’s what […]
It’s hard to look and listen now, to see what’s really happening. When much of the country is engulfed in protests and rioting, and Americans are dying every day from a pandemic, it’s tough acknowledge that we have a real problem, and it’s not enough for people to sit down, shut up and go back […]
I was talking to my sister just now — having the call where we share the week’s frustrations and joys, and where we give and receive real spiritual solace. I love her dearly, and rely on her kindness and wisdom. More than anything, I value the fact that we disagree sharply about politics, but we’re […]
I ended last week by reading Heather Ann Thompson’s account of the 1971 Attica prison uprising, Blood on the Water. If you’re puzzled by this week’s riots, her book is an excellent primer on racial violence and injustice in America. Aside from the obvious reasons, I was reading it to understand the roles played by […]
Tereus descends the stairs rapidly, realizes the last alcohol in his system has burned out. It’s bright in the kitchen — he lifts the bar and slides the deadbolt by feel while his eyes adjust. He hears a series of heavy steps, throws the door open, grabs his nephew by the armpits and guides him […]
The dregs of light and color drain from the clouds; the sky goes black. It’s a cloudy night, the dark of the moon. Just as Tereus is thinking of lighting a candle, he hears a whinny of terror from the stables. There’s a frantic equine scream, and then a chaos of sound: Paris smashing his […]
So, I just had a total stranger criticize me for wearing a mask. I was standing in line at the food coop, waiting to buy groceries, when a guy in his 50s or so walked by me and said, “Wearing a mask does nothing to protect you or anyone else.” At first I wasn’t sure […]
