The sonnet-ballad
By Gwendolyn Brooks
Oh mother, mother, where is happiness?
They took my lover's tallness off to war,
Left me lamenting. Now I cannot guess
What I can use an empty heart-cup for.
He won't be coming back here any more.
Some day the war will end, but, oh, I knew
When he went walking grandly out that door
That my sweet love would have to be untrue.
Would have to be untrue. Would have to court
Coquettish death, whose impudent and strange
Possessive arms and beauty (of a sort)
Can make a hard man hesitate -- and change.
And he will be the one to stammer, "Yes."
Oh mother, mother, where is happiness?
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I'm having a crazy week with end-of-year kid stuff -- this morning, for instance, younger son called five minutes after he arrived at school to inform me that he had forgotten his water bottle for Field Day and could I please bring it, so I did -- but I had the wonderful pleasure of finally meeting
raneclowd in the flesh after many years of knowing her only electronically! We had California Tortilla (perfect thing to feed a woman from California, right? *G*) and sat around yakking about dancing, media coverage of gays and lesbians, 101 things Voyager should have done better, why I should watch BSG and she should watch Doctor Who, and other matters of personal and fannish importance. We also talked politics, but I am going back to just not talking about politics here; it only ever raises my blood pressure for no good reason, since I have never witnessed a less effective grassroots system than people slamming other people in blogs. It was so delightful to meet her and she needs to come back to the DC area when we are not having an August-style heat wave in May-June!My other major activity was older son's school awards ceremony, where he received citations for making honor roll all four marking periods and being in the chorus with its superior ratings at District and State. The ceremony is always held in the auditorium of the high school nearest his middle school, which is halfway across the county from where we live -- it's a magnet program, a wonderful thing for the math and science geeks to whom he relates -- so we were in that building, where the jazz band played, the barbershop group sang, and many hundreds of names were read for assorted honors. It was slow, and worse, they forgot the A and B page of the alphabet when they read the seventh grade honor roll! I ended up chasing down his science teacher so they could get their ribbons, as son was clearly upset and I didn't see any of the other parents approaching to do something about this. D'oh.
More baby birds from the nest behind my parents' house:
I am sure people who follow comics know this already but I was interested to see CNN's report that the new Batwoman is a lesbian (and she looks kind of hot in the art there, a little like a fetishized Lucy Lawless *hangs head in mock-shame*). Also, is it wrong that I want to see one of these (totally not worksafe, like all things at blowfish.com) in action? Man, yesterday it was vibrating razors and now this...I think I shall talk about sex instead of politics from now on. I bet fewer people will comment but more people will read. *veg*
I have Marks & Spencer decaf tea. And chocolate covered Kendal Mint Cake. *happy*
