Hallway to Nowhere

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  • Harbinger (Poem)

    I have fallen into dereliction,

    Such decay heralding future loss.

    Something is approaching over the horizon.

    I can hear its soft skeletal hoof beats

    Clattering clickety clack, clickety clack.

    The dread beast approaches.

    I laugh in welcome and toss it my heart,

    A worthless organ but still a sacrificial deed.

  • Second-wave Feminism And The Fight Against Racism

    I was listening to a friend’s cri du cuour over fighting racism. I have some thoughts on the subject. Remember that old second wave feminist slogan THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL? Boy, howdy, whoever came up with that MUST have been from Appalachia. B/c that is how I’m seeing the battle against racism and white privilege fought here. It is being waged on a home-front battleground: in conversations in pick-up trucks on the way to Lowes; talks over family dinners; chats on transit on the way to Krogers; exchanges in front of that Confederate statue on Main; LTEs in the paper; groups teachers formed themselves in the school system; the swift retirement of a police chief. THIS is how change happens here. It might not be as swift as we wish. It might not be the sweeping overhaul we want nor need. But it IS reflective of the way we have conversations and conduct business that are ongoing with those messy things that are human beings. And I believe, to quote Sam Cooke, a change is gonna come.

  • “We’re All In This Together” : FALSE!

    During a Zoom meeting last night, one of the participants repeated this phrase several times. By the second reiteration, I wanted to PM her and ask, “Seriously? You STILL think this?” But not the time or place. So here we go, b/c apparently some of you out there do believe that this hackneyed phrase applies. I’ll even do it bullet-point, to make it extra simple for you:

    The United States has the highest number of COVID-19 cases (both infections and deaths) in the WORLD. I’m not listing the number here, b/c it changes so rapidly. And that is not a RESULT of our (poorly administered) testing; indeed, it is a glaring indictment. Most credible medical expects think the number is much higher than the number we know, because we still aren’t doing things like contact tracing. Due to the hodgepodge manner in which states were forced to address this on their own, rather than have it addressed on a national systemic level for EVERYONE, we’re seeing states reopen, close again, while cases and deaths continue to rise.

    • WHO is affected by COVID-19 in terms of severity is wildly disproportionate. African Americans and Latinos have been much harder hit (as in likely to be hospitalized and die) from this than whites, while having less access to heathcare resources. Seniors and those with preexisting health problems are both at risk groups, as we’ve seen COVID-19 decimate nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Those who are lower-income have fared less well, though they get less press than glittery celebs who got infected. (See, they were TRYING to show us that they’re human, too! And I know that some died. I’m sorry.)
    • How you survived during quarantine would vary. If you had money to cushion the nest, that helped. IF you had a social network to call upon to help with the isolation, that helped. If you HAD INTERNET (and where I live, this is NOT a given for people!), this would be your absolute lifeline. But for some: those surviving on a limited income; those who live alone and had no social circle: those who depended upon public outlets such as the library and the Community Center: this must have been a nightmare.
    • Essential workers. Let’s mention for minute about how THEY might feel about this “ALL IN IT” nonsense. Healthcare workers who couldn’t get needed PPE? Those unseen who work (often at minimum wage) to keep healthcare facilities OPERATING? How about grocery workers; warehouse workers and those who harvest the food we depend upon? Those who work in the meat-processing plants that keep getting shut down b/c of COVID-19 outbreaks?
    • Masks and social distancing. By now everyone knows that wearing a mask will help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Or at least, everyone has HEARD this info. But obviously not everyone believes it. Or cares. Or thinks it more important than their individual liberty or political belief or whatever. They are content to let OTHERS do the work (wearing a mask) for THEM and also to put OTHERS (those of us wearing masks) in harms way. In other words, they DGAF about the rest of us.

    I could go on. But you get my point. We are in NO WAY “all in this together”. Like everything ELSE humans do, we are divided by our beliefs, our values, our culture. I could get discouraged here. I DO get discouraged. But then again, I’ve never expected much from humanity taken en masse. My motto is: expect the worst and do the best I can.