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THEATER OF THE ABSURD
If Aristophanes were suddenlyto arrive here, he would no doubtpause, but with the eye he had,would soon discover such a treasuretrove of material, he could producecomedies to last several lifetimes. The problem would be in findingthe right audience, for here we havelittle taste and patience for the sortof comedy at which he was so adept,and…
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SETI
Perhaps we spend too muchtime wondering if there arealiens of the ET sort among us. Let’s face it, if they areadvanced enough to get here,they ought to be able to fit inwithout standing out, sosorry Hollywood, it may makefor an exciting movie butit just isn’t all that likely. And before you remind meof UFO sightings,…
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OF A WOMAN
I wasn’t born a woman,I cannot bear a child,I cannot carry a fetus nine monthsI cannot feel the morning sickness,I cannot nurse a child once born,I cannot cease to be who I ambecause I had a child,I cannot be raped and made pregnant,I cannot be subject incestmaking me pregnant,I cannot go through the pains of…
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WHEN
When the expected finally happensyou may feign surprise, or evenmild anger or some disquiet,but all will know it is only an act. When the expected doesn’t happenyou may be truly surprised,of even angry and frustrated,and all will understand at some level. When the unexpected happensthe full range of emotions is thenlaid open before you and…
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GANTO’S BOW AND SHOUT
Walking in an open fieldwhen you come to a gatewhich is inside, which outside?If you straddle the gatethere is no inside,there is no outside,there is only a gatewith you balanced upon it.Ask yourselfon which sidewill you fall? A reflection on Case 22 of the Book of Equanimity ( 従容錄, Shōyōroku)
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BRAD AND I
Its painful to now say itbut perhaps Uncle Samgot it partially right whenhe shaved our heads andhad us march aroundLackland Air Force Baseas the war raged on in Vietnam,but when you talk about Uncle Sam,the bar is set rather low. We did all look ridiculous,from the large guy who oncewas the town bully for certainto…
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GOING
You know where you want to go,which is the first step in getting there,but there are countless routesyou can take with a varietyof obstacles which you cannot seeuntil you have committedto that route, and there is to beno turning back once you choosethe route you intend to take. Think about your selection,do you want the…
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SAINTS AND SINNERS
I am a distant grandchildof saints and Herod,kings and lords, andVisigoths for good measure. That half of me iswoven of ever thinnerbranches on a treethat threatens to topplefrom the lightnessof its other side, rootsdeep in the rich soilof Lithuania, the rootshitting bedrock, andthe branches stuntedand there a simpleAshkenazi Jew.
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A MOMENT
It is 1952, April, and Iam handed to the woman.I am wrapped in a thin blanket,the tall man is standing beside her.I do not recall this, but thisis how it must have happened,she finally a mother, hea father despite infertility.I do not recall her, the womanwho perhaps never held meonce I exited her body, whohid…
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GO TO YOUR ROOM
When a petulant childacts out badly, a parentwill send the childto a corner, to his room,for a “time out”the duration of whichdepends on the child’soffense and demeanor. What are we to dowhen the child hasno parents, answersto no one, even his adultchildren, where can we,the observers go, whatcan we do except cringein horror knowing thischild…
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an old writer and his words 