1. You must read the book cover to cover. Do not skip the preface or introduction; allow yourself to soak up Marcus’ observations and Jennings history with Benjamin. 2. You do not have to read Benjamin’s text in order. I did. There is no damage in doing so, but give yourself the freedom to explore and … Continue reading
Category Archives: Commentary
Commentary / Elizabeth Bishop / Essay / Fish-herring / I love you. / poetry / Relationships / Uncategorized / William Shakespeare
On Saying “I Love You”
“I Love You.” F.P.; Am Ostbahnhof. Creative Commons License, Flickr. A common phrase extolling emotional urgency due to the “attractive qualities” of another; “deep affection”; a conveyance of “benevolent attachment” and “fondness.” [1] To say “I love” is also an exaggeration of the “you” or any detachable noun or pronoun: I love you! I love … Continue reading
Reading Life: Windows by J.-B. Pontalis
What we see as an everyday common object is one we take for granted. A window is often clear, reflective, sometimes blinded with sunlight or darkened at the end of the day, a point at which we can only see ourselves distorted and beveled. A window is about vision, what we see in both … Continue reading
Art / Commentary / discussion / Essay / Relationships / Uncategorized
At Home with the Animals: Wood Block Paintings by Charles Smith
I had the pleasure of spending an exorbitant amount of time in one of my favorite used bookstores. Grey Matter is nestled just beyond the intersection of MA-9 and “the bridge.” Turn down East Street and you’ll find, hidden under the water tower, one of the best bookstores in Massachusetts. I was looking in the … Continue reading
Art / Commentary / criticism / discussion / Essay / Literature / Photography / Sensuality / Uncategorized / Washington Post
(Non)Apologia.
But like a figure in a TV makeover show, it was an apple that its handlers could not leave alone. They altered its shape. They made it firmer and more juicy. They made it so it could be stored in hermetically sealed warehouses for 12 months. Along the way, they changed its color and hence … Continue reading
Dead or Alive: My Top Ten List of Outsiders Making a Difference
Photograph: “Outsider” by Chrissy Wainwright. Taken on July 26, 2006. Flickr Creative Commons License. As reported in the The Washington Post on May 13th, 2017 by Callum Borchers, Trump deemed himself an “outsider” in his commencement speech at Liberty University: “Being an outsider is fine,” Trump said. “Embrace the label because it’s the outsiders who change … Continue reading
Art / Commentary / criticism / Imogen Cunningham / Photography / poetry / reading / San Francisco Museum of Modern Art / Writing
Body Talk: Poetic Space in Imogen Cunningham’s Triangles, 1928
A friend once told me there are three sides to every story. *** If three is a number of unity then why are the nocturnal arcs of her body far more connective to me than angles? Her body receives light with subtle gradations yet provides an unending Rothko depth. I too am soft, but not … Continue reading
Art / Commentary / Dean Burnett / Diane Ackerman / Discover Magazine / discussion / Essay / Kissing / Literature / Lovers / Sensuality / Sheril Kirshenbaum / The Guardian / Touch / Uncategorized / William Shakespeare
On Kissing: A Brief Inquiry On a Cherished Diversion
What is a kiss? Is a kiss a mere peck on the cheek or lips, or the sensuous nature of parted mouths waiting to accept each others physical discourse? Perhaps a kiss is defined by the mouth touching any part of human skin, sheltering one spot with warmth and tenderness inducing excessive flutters in the … Continue reading
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