At my eldest son’s funeral 16 years ago we sang “The Lord of the Dance.” Justin was a joyous dancer and I imagine him dancing somewhere, in some plane, whenever I hear the hymn.
Monthly Archives: April 2016
Fencing People Out & Spiritual Desolation
In her novel “Ceremony,” Leslie Marmon Silko has a vision of spiritual desolation caused when we build fences to keep other people out.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Ceremony, Donald Trump, federal land, fences, Leslie Marmon Silko, Mexican wall Comments closed
Euripides Explains Anti-LGBTQ Votes
The North Carolina state legislature recently passed anti-LBGTQ legislation which, among other things, forbids transgender individuals from using the bathrooms of their chosen gender identity. Euripides provides some insight into hostility against crossdressers in “The Bacchae.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Bacchae, discrimination, Euripides, homophobia, LBGTQ, North Carolina LBGTQ laws Comments closed
A Kind of Light Spread Out from Her
John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” contributed to the naming of my latest granddaughter.
Harriet Tubman Didn’t Take No Stuff
In honor of Harriet Tubman as the first woman and first African American to appear on U.S. currency, here are poems honoring her by Eloise Greenfield and Lucille Clifton.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Harriet Tubman", "harriet", Eloise Greenfield, Lucille Clifton, U.S. currency Comments closed
Death & Miracles & Stars without Number
In Norman Finkelstein’s account of the Passover, death and miracles are bound up together. It is an uneasy combination, calling upon us to look at our own complicity in the world’s evils.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Passover", "Telling", Exodus, Haggadah, Norman Finkelstein, Passover Seder Comments closed
In One of the Stars, Prince Will Be Living
A passage from Saint-Exupéry’s “Little Prince” provides an appropriate eulogy for Prince, the rock musician who died yesterday at 59.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Antoine Saint-Exupérty, Little Prince, Prince, rock music Comments closed
Finding Beauty in Ravaged Landscapes
In “Gift of Gravity,” Wendell Berry finds beauty even in ravaged landscapes. But is there a limit to how much of a devastated landscape he could learn to love?
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Gift of Gravity", climate change, global warming, Wendell Berry Comments closed
