The early edition was full of dreadful news. Those who crept aboard the train at seven, clutching newspapers, were grim-faced and somber. They made hurried plans to take their money from the bank and have a last desperate fling; or tell their fathers, finally, what they thought of them. The late edition beamed with joy: all the stocks up, the plays hits, the troops home. The nine o’clock commuters spilled from their trains dancing, hugging complete strangers. They noticed the bodies of the … [Read more...]
“Two Words” / A Memorable Fancy #145
29 October, 2012 by Leave a Comment
[“Have we really fathomed how grief and melancholy line the underside of our languages?” – Julia Kristeva] Even our nouns tell of grief. This one, from a foreign tongue, means “death.” It’s the last thing the invaders left us, aside from raped wives and bastard children. And this other word, home-grown, means “despair.” We speak it often. … [Read more...]
Memorable Fancies 