I don’t write in a journal everyday, but I have accumulated many entries over the past 50+ years beginning in 1966. Some items evolved into longer works. Among the leftovers little pieces survived. I thought a collection of these with a piece culled from the same date in a past year would make an interesting yearbook. The consistencies and inconsistencies of mind, skipping back and forth across time, provide varied perspectives. It is difficult to remember the context of the past we’ve lived; we also make suppositions about times that predate ourselves.

The few alterations from original drafts were to improve clarity. The worst of my work is not included. There remains enough mediocrity and immaturity to make me feel humble and you feel smart. There are also moments of accidental insight and incidental humor.

Author Stephen Crane referred to his little pieces as pills…apparently they were small and somewhat hard to swallow, but good for you.


Comments Welcome!

Friday, April 3, 2020

more from The Litanies of Mistrust

April 3, 2008  (I was 63)

    more from The Litanies of Mistrust
Never Trust:
the loudest talker in the restaurant
the poise of alcohol
adjectives on a menu
fresh seafood in the desert

Never Trust:
the rich if you are poor
the poorer if you are poor
the poor if you are rich
the richer if you are rich
the spirit of generosity

Never Trust:
a priest without his collar
a priest whose collar is too tight
a priest to teach comparative religion
a nun who licks her fingers

Never Trust:
the euphoria of religious belief
the satisfaction of righteousness
the faith of the convicted
the prayers of a martyr
an elegy to cure grief

Never Trust:
a test to evaluate intelligence
a flag to make the wind blow
a press release from the State Department
US foreign policy when you are abroad
the military industrial complex or any of the three
Posted by at
Labels: ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)