Hope in Liberalism

 I just read an article in THE NEW YORKER, which was an offbeat way of looking at liberalism in a time when I do not feel hopeful about the politics, the love of a bully pulpit, the wars, the lies, the idea of putting people in cages, discussions of the Reich and vermin. At the end of the article it says," a common thread.... there is an aversion to fantaticism, a will toward the coexistence of different kinds and creeds, a readiness for reform, a belief in public criticism of power without penalty, and perhaps, above all, a knowledge that institutions of civic peace are much harder to build than to destroy, being immeasurably more fragile than their complacent inheritors imagine. These values persist, no matter how evil the moment may become, and by whatever name we choose to whisper in the dark."

My whispering words: decency, integrity, equality, openess, fairness; heterogenity; curiosty; peace; dreams of a kinder, gentler world. #Webuildbridgeswedismantlewalls

Amen today, tomorrow, always!

The Upside Down Flag and the Unsupreme Supreme Court

 When it was discovered, two weeks ago, that after the 2020 election, an upside down flag flew in front of Samuel Alito's house, he admonished his wife, who he said placed it there. In other words, he threw his wife under the bus.Why, then (never believe an apparent liar) was that flag up for four days? A few days later, another discovery was made; in front of his beach house flew a flag in support of the former president of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

Wait--isn't the supreme court supposed to be apolitical? Not when 45 appointed some of the most conservative justices this country has ever known in the past few decades. This is the court that overturned Roe V. Wade, voting rights, continues to show support for Republican gerrymandered districts AND has Clarence Thomas (who apparently falls asleep at hearings) on the court, a man who accepted millions of dollars in donations form private donors to do their bidding. Did I mention his wife, Ginni, supported and was at the January 6th insurrection?

Soon this corrupt, lawless Supreme Court (sorry, Justice Roberts, your legacy is done) is posied to hear an immunity case regarding the fomer president. My guess is these two justices, in love with the former president, and the three other justices who receieved their tenure because of Trump, will grant him the immunity THAT NO ONE IN THIS COUNTRY has ever receieved. And with each lawless act this man-- the Donald--commits, his fan-base expands. I can not wrap my brain around this. Any ordinary citizen would already be in jail for a fraction of what he has done.

Allegedly, the buck is supposed to stop here, with the Supreme Court, where justice SHOULD prevail, but does not. Being a president does not make you above the law, and certainly the former president is lawless with so many felonies....and counting. My guess is he will get this immunity. My husband Ira suggests if the president is above the law  and Trump is given this immunity, it is Biden's turn (a president can do anything--right??) to lock him up--and throw away the key. He says the Democrats can also play ugly.

But they won't. It is not in Biden's blood to play mean and dirty. And surely I have no faith(nor does the country, by the way, where the approval rating for the court resides at about 15%) in the Supreme Court, which is doing everything in its power to have a criminal march merrily into the White House.

Retirement

 After forty plus years at the same institution, City College, I have retired--well, almost retired. The poetry festival I run was postponed until the fall, so there is that work to be done, but yesterday I handed in my grades for the two classes I taught, so the teaching part of my career is over. In many ways, I consistently loved what I did. Every semester felt brand new in terms of new books, new subject matter, but mostly new students. There is an intimacy in a classroom. Often a teacher becomes not just someone who imparts knowledge, but a confidant (with limits), a therapist (with limits) and an open ear--receptive to their joys and also their anguish. I took pride in their accomplishments and felt sorrow with their grief; in particular, when they fell off the guardrails, and there was nothing I could do about it. Teaching, like parenting, teaches you the limits of control; you can guide, but you can not change.

I am ready to leave. As much as I loved the classroom, I grew tired of the grading, the extra tasks I had to perform, the bureaucracy. There is other unexplored terrain in my life I am ready to embark on. Still, this has become bittersweet for me. I am eager to start writing on a fulltime basis, to spend more time on my political goals, time with my husband, children, grandchildren, including the new one who awaits me in August. I am eager to throw myself into the books and culture I love, so all of this is sweet. Still, I will miss my students, the refrain, "Can I talk to you?" which always meant a new story, sometimes joyful, sometimes sad. 

I had to explain this feeling to a friend recently and I said it is like ending a marriage, where you know it is time to leave, yet you also know the person you were married to was wonderful in so many ways, but you had different aspirations and were truly so different, so it had to end. I fortunately never had this experience, but I know people who had, and one thing I have always been good at is stepping into the shoes of another in order to understand someone else's perspective.

It is time for me to divorce myself from my wonderful career and I am ready to take the leap, but I know--as I move into this new chapter yet to be written--I will miss my students, their stories, their smiles, so it is with joy and some sorrow I plunge into this unknown journey.

Review of 39 Poems by Charles Butler

 I just completed re-reading Charles Butler's heartfelt, warm, intelligent book of poetry, 39 POEMS. Again, I am bowled over. What is particularly wonderful about this book is its authenticity. He writes evocatively about manhood--his--and what it means to "be the man he was born to be/fearful not afraid/living is just that." You can feel his solitary-self and precious desire to move in the right  direction, "He never believed in complete happiness." Charles Butler allows you entry into his world of pain and grief, though it is always--at the end of the day, "the words/love me back/not in any conventional sense/in their way they free me/understand the pain/take it from me/the words."

But it is not just the grit, despair and challenges Charles has faced that he explores in this book, but also the love of a woman who, "moved on me/her body flows into mine." This particular woman, Elise Buchman, was my student, and also the love of the poet's life.This book of poetry is particularly poignant now, since Elise recently passed away, and he continues to mourn her passing. One can only hope that the words will continue to help alleviate the pain and loneliness of a life without Elise. The language and feelings in this book are evocative. 39 POEMS is a must read; a real tour de force!