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Step through all that's left to feel / I wait to meet my love made real... --Suzanne Vega |
Tuesday, May 11, 1999 Birth-day! Yes, I know, you thought you were done with me talking about my birthday. This isn't about that. 'Twould seem that, shortly after 7 AM yesterday, my sister gave birth to a son! Needless to say, I'm not going to have any trouble remembering his birthday. :-) I only found out about it this morning, though. She apparently tried calling early yesterday afternoon, but the line was busy (I must have been on the 'Net, as usual), and then nobody answered later on. (I was out from about 2:45 PM, when I went to college, until 11:50 PM, when I got back from a poetry reading. And my answering machine isn't working.) But now I know! The only catch is that he was born a bit early, and his lungs weren't quite fully ready for prime time yet, so he's currently in Intensive Care, with a tube down his throat. But he's improving, and should be okay soon. Mazel Tov!
On the other side of the life cycle, Shel Silverstein is no longer with us. Back in twelfth grade, I discovered Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book in the aisles of a local bookstore. I opened it up, looked at a few pages at random, and proceeded to dissolve into a fit of helpless laughter. That was on Friday. I didn't have enough money on me at the time, so I got it the following Sunday. The local bookstore was closed on Sundays, so instead, I went to another one in Valley Stream, which was 45 minutes away by bicycle. It was worth it. Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book, for those who have not yet had the pleasure of reading it, is an absolute masterpiece of twisted humor. It is a "children's book" that you decidedly do not want your children to read. I lent out my copy a few months ago, so I can't cite very much, and I'm probably off on the exact words, but it goes through the alphabet (in a rather unconventional order) with such entries as:
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Ink is black and wet. Ink is fun to smear on the walls. What else can you do with ink? (What rhymes with ink?) DR___
L is for Lollypop! See the big, red lollypop. Lollypops are good to eat just before dinner! L is also for Lye. Do you want a lollypop? Take the lye and flush it down the toilet.
Then show your mommy the empty box, (This is known as a fib, or a little white lye.)
After the doctor pumps out your stomach,
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My own writing style underwent a noticable shift after I read this book,
and it's still a major influence on my writing. I really owe him a
tremendous debt. What I especially loved about Uncle Shelby was knowing that the same whacko responsible for the ABZ Book and "Someone Ate the Baby" was also the caring, sensitive soul who wrote The Giving Tree. Talk about having a contradictory nature. I appreciate that in a person, especially given my own conflicts. I can't imagine that you're reading this, Shel, but if you are... thank you.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow, And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go, For the children, they mark, and the children, they know The place where the sidewalk ends. -- Shel Silverstein
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