America’s Most Widely Misread Literary Work by The Atlantic ‘Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” is often interpreted as an anthem of individualism and nonconformity, seemingly encouraging readers to take the road less traveled… But as Frost liked to warn his listeners, “You have to be careful of that one; it’s a tricky poem—very tricky.” …
Author Archives: A.C. Smith
Lest we forget that we are animals
Lest we forget that we are animalsI run my fingers through your silky furI feel the heat from where our bodies touchAnd nestle close to hear your rumbling purr Our lives are bound by rules and promisesBy forms and customs, cunningly designedWe follow patterns hidden to our eyesAnd seek our own path, carefully divined But …
Losing an icon: Chadwick Boseman
I’m still getting to grips with my shock and my news over his death. When I first saw the news, I thought it was a hoax. How can it be that an artist who burns so brightly and with such energy can be taken by by this devastating, wasting disease? And how on earth did …
I want to bloom where I am planted
I want to bloom where I am plantedBut these stones are far too rough.I want to send forth searching rootsBut oh, this ground is tough. I want to blossom verdantlyBut the soil is parched and dry.It all seems such a struggleAnd I can’t understand why. For all around me flowers bloomIn vibrant, luscious hues.Why can’t …
Do you find it painful to keep to a schedule?
Do you find it painful to keep to a schedule? I do. At least, as a general rule. I feel like I have so many plans or schemes I have set up and abandoned. Whenever I try to set things up, there is a feeling of rebellion, an urge to paint outside the lines, and …
Continue reading “Do you find it painful to keep to a schedule?”
Odds and ends 4
2020 Commencement Address by Marlon James (for Macalester U) “So if it’s not about talent and it’s not about effort, what is it about? It’s hunger. How badly do you want it? It’s stakes. How high are yours? If your stakes aren’t high enough, fake it. It’s how hard are you prepared to work? That’s …
Diving
For Zachary I lost myself yesterdayDrowning in the ever-oncoming wavesMy head slippingSlowly but surelyBeneath the surfaceNothing but waterAs far as the eye can see When you appearedI thought you would pull me to shoreBut instead You filled my mouth with breathFrom the metal tank carried on your backYou took my handAnd said with a twinkle:“Come …
Odds and ends 3
Höchste Lust: music as the opposite of social distancing by Katharine Dain “At some point I noticed a shift in the quality of attention between us—a marked preference for each other’s company, surreptitious glances of appraisal—but I didn’t worry about what felt like a little gig crush… But it was more, and I knew it. …
At the end
Let my body loose its shape and slowly crumble into dustLet my bones grow old and creaky, let my blood congeal to rust Let my voice grow hoarse and tired, let my brain grow slow and dimLet my breathing fade until it perches lightly on life’s rim Let my image be forgotten, let my memory …
Odds and Ends 2
Guess who finally subscribed to The Atlantic? 🙂 Dear Therapist: The Pandemic Has Changed My Relationship With My Therapist by Lori Gottlieb (from The Atlantic) “In other words, you say you’re trying to protect your therapist, but I have a feeling that the person you’re trying to protect is yourself. If you stop having sessions, …