Do You Cay-ah?

Missing Persons - Words
Featuring Dale Bozzio's unmistakable Medford accent.

Regarding Henry

As a poet, philosopher, and naturalist, Henry David Thoreau had, and continues to have, a tremendous impact on well-off college kids who wish to dabble in the low-risk non-comformity game and grow unflattering facial hair. His works have inspired countless well-meaning souls to cast off the shackles of society and appreciate the simple pleasures of life -- such as Toyota Priuses, Whole Foods-brand hummus, and comfortable Birkenstocks.

On weekends, his many of his acolytes can be found puttering around the shores of Walden Pond in Concord, two towns over from Woburn. There they can engage in rapt contemplation of their spiritual father and connect with the natural beauty he so eloquently expounded upon...before driving back to their McMansions and luxury condominiums. (The fields and forests that used to occupy those spaces should have gotten better publicists, I suppose.)

Me? I'm more of an Albert Camus guy, if you hadn't already guessed. Apart from the flicker of kinship I feel for a fellow local with a penchant for hyper-wordiness, I've never understood the allure of Thoreau's work, none of which manages to exceed the profundity of his sublime deathbead pronouncement, "Moose. Indian."

However mean your life is...

Spoken like a true overprivileged armchair philosopher....

None But the Bright and Shining Moon Can Say

October has begun, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better place to enjoy the spooky season than New England. We've got the foliage, we've got centuries old churches and cemeteries, and we've got the willingness to capitalize upon a historical horror brought about by pettiness and superstition!

Y'know, I'd take the spooky set's arguments about showing the proper respect to the victims of the witch trials more seriously if these same people weren't flocking to Salem to open souvenir stands and mystical boutiques aimed at dunning wads of cash from eager tourists.

Blessed be the revenue stream!

In any case, here's another macabre marketing pitch that is much nearer and dearer to my heart...

Good Evening!

Waxing Poetic

The Bay State has a rich poetic tradition, from Anne Bradstreet and Phyllis Wheatley to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Emily Dickinson to Elizabeth Bishop and Sylvia Plath.

All are wonderful in their individual ways, but there is one piece of verse concerning this fabled region that stands above all others. It speaks to my soul as few works are able to, perfectly capturing a the essence of a place both geographically and spiritually familiar to me.

Here's an excerpt...

Modern Poetry

...though it pales in comparison to the complete genuine article that no person of culture should be without.