Only five days remaining in National Poetry Month, and here’s my small contribution—a reading of Martin Espada’s “Death Rides the Elevator in Brooklyn” from his book FLOATERS pic.twitter.com/igCe8aH34n
Thanks to Michael Grover, a colleague from two decades past, for introducing me to Martin Espada’s poetry.
At the risk of annoying or boring Daniel Radcliffe, here I am with some opinions.
First, regarding Bruce Willis’s retirement due to aphasia::
It’s truly sad he was apparently trotted out for two day jobs (at $2 million per extended cameo/co-star/support) to provide income for a dependent entourage. Variants of this happened with the latter-day careers of Glen Campbell and Tony Bennett—and air freshener remarks like “he loves to perform’ and “look how he still has muscle memory” are sprayed about to neutralize any comments about the dubious ethics of making a performer work under diminishing physical and mental conditions.
As for Will Smith slapping Chris Rock:
Jada Pinkett Smith could have easily confronted Rock about his history of jokes at her expense somewhere besides the Dolby Theater.
It’s a stunted, should be outdated, vision of manhood for Will Smith, aware of the certainty of winning the Best Actor Academy Award, to hit Chris Rock over a joke and then for Smith to use his acceptance speech to justify his behavior and link it to Richard Williams.
Yes, Smith has apologized publicly.
And, yes, the Academy is figuring out ways to defuse Sunday’s fallout on the way to what looks like a mild censure with the likelihood that no Academy personnel will have their employment terminated.
Of course, Will and Oprah are likely to have a CBS summit meeting.
And Will’s autobiography will go to paperback with a bonus chapter mixing rationalizations and apologies.
please just one more ring
one more ring one more ring one
please please one more ring
white rabbit in Moscow
handing out flyers on the street
pretends nothing is wrong for two minutes
then worries over Ukranian relatives
regrets Putin jumping off a steep cliff
taking millions of Russians and Ukrainians with him
>
white rabbit in Moscow
checks pocket for enough rubles
to avoid sleeping in the subway
Who wants to play those virtual aces and eights
Who wants a big big raiseIn no specific order:
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
THE SPARKS BROTHERS
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
HOLLER
SUMMER OF SOUL
NO SUDDEN MOVE
HACKS
THE BEATLES: GET BACK
ANNETTE
HOUSE OF GUCCI
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND
BENEDETTA
MALIGNANT
LANDSCAPERS
LICORICE PIZZA
SPENCER
PARALLEL MOTHERS
The jackhammer pounding
Of government, industry, media
Repeat the same propaganda:
Get back to normal
Go back to work
It’s mild, they say
Five days at home are enough
We haven’t licked this disease yet
Hell, there’s no Omicron vaccine until maybe March
People are filling hospital beds again
But by all means, reclaim normal
We’re giving away half our N95 stockpile
Only four tests a month via USPS
Ready or not, we’ll tempt you to
Go back to the mall, hang out, shop
We might put up warning signs
But we’re not the mask police
Be normal again
But don’t blame us when you get sick
into the submarine again
doing my best to stay clear
of the bodyjacking Delta and Omicron
seeing just one other person
unless it’s time to leave for provisions
staying clear of those grocery aisles
where people still take off masks
to talk on their cell phones
>
thanks to a belligerent one-third of a nation
we’re going into year three of unnecessary hell
