There was a time, not so long ago, when men were men. There was a time when the elderly were respected, when milkmen were appreciated, and when children could ride their bikes down at the quarry on a Sunday afternoon without fear of perverts or peanut butter sandwiches. Those were the days. My... Continue Reading →
Poem: Regret
Young and untouchable with a lifetime to waste, Days lost for nothing, but lived at full pace, But you cannot go back and the seeds you have sown, Despite all your tears, unavoidably grow, So the old man must bear all the younger’s mistakes, And the wounds earned in youth scar the older man’s face.... Continue Reading →
Book Review: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
James Joyce’s loosely autobiographical novel spans several years in the life of young Stephen Dedalus. Observing him mainly in a school and university setting, the book focuses on significant events and stages in his development. These points are merely markers in the story, while the substance is Stephen’s inner struggle: his emotions, questions, doubts, fears,... Continue Reading →
Book Review: All Quiet on the Western Front
Say what you like about war, what with its incalculable death and suffering, yet it has been a goldmine of inspiration for all sorts of art and entertainment. In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque draws on his own World War I experiences to paint a sobering portrait of life (and death)... Continue Reading →
Blind Fire
The fire of youth, enraged and wild, The first steps out from the shaded child, Into the waiting jaws of men, That dying dreams may live again. Minds are cradled, knives are drawn, Cutting a path for the blazing dawn, Journeys begun without a choice, Following after their master’s voice. Shaped and formed,... Continue Reading →