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Frequently, I spend my lunch hour at the bookstore browsing magazines and books. Today was one of those days, and as a consequence I happened on the book, The Financial Lives of Poets by Jess Walter. The title is an attention-grabber and that’s why I picked up the book. I read the jacket and skimmed the first few pages, my habit for determining if a book merits further reading. Within those pages, I discovered a quote attributed to author Saul Bellow, “Poets have to dream, and dreaming in America is no cinch.”
BAM! (nod to Emeril) It’s a staggering bit of verbiage. I filed the quote in my cerebral database and later deposited it on a piece of scrap paper littering my car. I deemed it worthy of exploration, and that’s what I intend to do here.
First, what is a poet? Well, you’d be surprised (or maybe not) at the answers I found searching the World Wide Web. How does this answer suit you? A poet is a person who writes poetry. I hope you sighed, cursed, or blew a raspberry. One should never define a thing by using the thing to define it. How’s this? A poet is a person who writes verse. Okay, but so what? This is also a poor definition, but at least I have a basic understanding of what a poet does; however, I still do not know what a poet is. There is a difference!
A poet is a:
- Crusader (e.g., Lucy Terry, John Trudell, Ron Silliman)
- Mystic (e.g., Walt Whitman, Jesse Ball)
- Activist (e.g., Andrea Gibson, Nikki Giovanni, Allen Ginsburg)
- Revolutionary (e.g., Philip Freneau, Phyllis Wheatley)
- Philosopher (e.g., Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau)
A poet gazes on her culture and critically assesses it in her verse. She affirms and strengthens cultural platforms that empower everyone. A poet is not an imitator, a trend setter, an embellisher, nor a poser. A poet is not aloof, disengaged, entitled, nor apolitical. A poet supports change for a free, just, and sustainable society. It’s with this understanding that we can appreciate “Poets have to dream,” as it’s our poets who most frequently dream of better tomorrows (life without war, poverty, abuse, discrimination, etc.).
Why is dreaming in America so difficult? I think dreaming implies change, and change is not something everyone is willing to embrace. Struggles with change are illustrated by recent US news headlines on the topics of healthcare reform, finance reform, immigration reform, education reform, etc. Opposition to reform is strong. This is not a bad thing; it just is. One should study Hegelian Dialectic to know that there will always be a series of philosophical conflicts before there is an evolution of some sort. In this world, patience is the ultimate virtue and without patience dreaming is no cinch.
Thanks Juls for pointing me to this. It’s great fun! I’m always in a room wondering why I’m there!
I drive a hell of a long way to work (and back) everyday. All of this time on the road has allowed me to make many observations. Here are just a few.
- No matter which radio station I listen to, the traffic report fails to cover the road I’m on.
- If there is a lane of traffic moving faster than the one I’m in, if I change to it, it slows to a crawl.
- There are people who think it is both wise and safe to exit the tollway from the far left lane. WTF!
- The people who shave, apply make-up, or hot-roll their hair while driving are very scary.
- Worse than the shavers and make-up artists are the imbeciles who text or chat on their cell phones while driving. One such moron rear-ended my brand new Honda Element last fall. Four years prior to that accident, a similar idiot rear-ended my brand new Honda Civic (Multiple cars were involved; I was in the fifth car in the chain accident.). You can imagine how I feel about driving around in a new vehicle.
- Traffic is at its worst on the days I have an early morning meeting.
- Yes, I can see you picking your nose, your teeth, your ears.
- Petroleum/chemical tankers are disasters waiting to happen.
- It really sucks when I forget to go to the bathroom before my commute.
- Visors do not completely shield your eyes from the sun. Often they serve absolutely no purpose.
- What’s up with road crews? One man working and ten supervising.
- Men who build roads appreciate flannel in the cooler months.
- Where is that other shoe?
- Billboards do not inspire me to make a purchase.
- Trees look better with leaves.
- Green means go. Red means stop. If you’re colorblind, you shouldn’t be driving.
- Gold hubcaps are the equivalent of gold teeth.
- When tossed ice hits your windshield, the glass appears as if it has shattered. Pretty damn freaky!
- Some people like to share their music with everyone in a half-mile radius.
- 1 out of 10 people gesture in appreciation when I let them slide in front of me in traffic.
- 9 out of 10 people gesture offensively when I don’t let them have their way on the road.
- Frequently I say: “That was absolutely BRILLIANT!” • “Way to go, GENIUS!” • “Move bee-otch!” • “What a dickhead!” • “What an asshole!” • “IDIOT!” • “OH, for God’s sake people!”
- The only fume I appreciate is the occasional waft of weed.
- It seems people are no longer concerned with keeping America beautiful.
- A suspended plastic bag is beautiful in the film American Beauty; it’s not so beautiful any where else.
- Squirrels must have a death wish.
- When I see the Texas lotto sign, I fantasize about winning. All of that dough would eliminate a commute to work.
- The higher the number of bumper stickers the lower the IQ.
- Driving a Hummer? You’re a pompous ass.
- Cops like sitting at the bottom of hills.
- Are you insane? Please crate your dogs. Don’t let them run loose in the back of your pick-up.
Some time ago, I read Virginia Woolf’s Three Guineas. I remember that upon finishing the book I felt compelled to: (1) thank the Almighty for allowing me to be born after the mid-century mark; (2) join an organization for women that supported the advancement of women in professions and equal pay for equal work; and (3) support those running for political office who profess an aversion for war.
Western countries have made a lot of progress since 1938, the year the book was originally published. No longer do women have to rely on charm to procure money from their fathers, brothers, and/or husbands. No longer is marriage the only “profession” open to women. No longer are women denied the opportunity to acquire an education. No longer are the opinions of women considered to be without value. We’ve come a long way! Bold, courageous, and visionary women were tireless in their efforts to secure human and constitutional rights, one-by-one, for us.
But as champions of capitalist systems and with income in our possession, have we lost as much as we’ve gained? Are we not like men who leave the house at dawn and return at nightfall? Have we little time to acquaint ourselves with our children? Has time for friendship, travel, and art nearly vanished? Don’t we too feel the itch of dog collars inscribed “For God and Country?” Are we leading lives and professing the same loyalties that professional men have professed for thousands of years (70)?
Are we leading lives of quiet desperation? (nod to Henry David Thoreau)
Yes, and it’s “so momentous an occasion in the history of civilization that some celebration seems called for (101)!”
Women who earn their livings posses the powerful weapon of independent opinion. With a mind of their own and a will of their own, women have the ability to influence society.
Woolf speaks of young women who passively absented themselves from church services. For years women had predominated congregations by a ratio of 75% to 25%, but the situation changed as the population of women students increased. “Among the student population the young women were, on the whole, farther away from the Church of England and the Christian faith than the young men (117-118).” By making their absence felt, these women made their presence become desirable (119).
What if all women in civilized countries absented themselves for a weekend – retreated to the wild and left society to itself? It’s fun to imagine the outcome. Could it be the catalyst that would finally move politicians, the majority whom are men, to write into law a benefit that women have been seeking for years – equal pay for equal work? Could women gain other benefits as well, such as stronger laws to protect them from abusers? What if women in backward countries, those where they are mere chattel, escaped to the wild? Would honor killings cease? Could they earn the right to uncover their heads? If we made our absence felt, would our presence become desirable?
…just sitting here wondering…
Source:
Three Guineas
Virgina Woolf
ISBN: 0-15-690177-3
Related to this post: See how the best-compensated male executives’ paychecks compare to the 25 best-paid women.
The thought of people driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol isn’t funny; however, this little film will make you grin.
I had an extraordinarily bad time at work yesterday, and this song came to mind. I considered it even more meaningful after watching several news programs later in the evening. Has everyone gone nuts? What happened to reason based on awareness, whereby consciousness is critical? What about the rigorous use of intellectual skills? It’s bad enough to have to suffer fools, but when fools are promoting ignorance, well that’s just too much to endure!
Worthwhile reading – Summer of Hate by John Avalon – A new report highlights the rising specter of violence from America’s right-wing militias and underground hate groups. John Avlon tallies 25 signs of trouble brewing.
This is absolutely the best way to start a marriage!!
I’m off my game, I guess. I was only familiar with one of these expressions, “chin wag.”
I really do appreciate what Stephen Fry has to say about swearing in this video, as I’m quite fond of throwing down the swear words. It can be an art actually, and often no others words will do when you’re pissed or hurt. I only wish I were as adept at vulgar verbalization as my dear brother, Vic.
Did you know that one of America’s most talented authors, Stephen Crane, was gifted when in came to cursing? His friends delighted in his competence. Crane appreciated swearing as “performance on a purely linguistic level.” He enjoyed expletitives enough to even go so far as compiling a swearing dictionary. This just proves what Stephen Fry says in the video; it isn’t the intellectually challenged who are governors of profanity, it’s the erudite who are the foremost masters.
