January 25, 2004
Of course, going through your old books is nothing compared to going through boxes of old letters from and to your father and your dead mother and realizing that your mother's side of the family, from which you've unofficially but firmly cut yourself off because you thought it was made up of bigoted raving lunatics, is in fact made up of bigoted raving lunatics, but that they're bigoted raving lunatics who are nonetheless eloquently and acutely aware of how painful the human condition is. Who write about kids in military school and say:
"E. & Y. and the others have gone--one by one--but they have gone--to their ships or training schools or home on leave--but gone. You can't imagine how sad and perilously young they look in their shiny uniforms . . . the very rending quality of their separation. . . ."
This from a man who subscribes to Southern Partisan, a magazine that believes the Civil War War Between the States War of Northern Aggression is still going on.
I may have to deal with a lot of crazy people in Manhattan, but at least they all fit in the boxes I put them in.
Posted by Faustus, MD at 11:25 PM
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Comments
1) David said (on 01/26/04 at 12:23 AM):
I thought it was the War of Northern Aggression.
2) awan said (on 01/26/04 at 12:28 AM):
first visit, my first impression --> nice.
first look, my first impression --> better.
first read, my first impression --> damn wonderful!!
i admired your thoughts and writings Faustus, really.
3) Faustus, M.D. said (on 01/26/04 at 07:22 AM):
Awan, thank you. David, you're absolutely right. I'd somehow managed to repress the memory of how rabid people actually are. Correction made.
4) James said (on 01/26/04 at 10:54 AM):
I sympathize, to an extent - as I endure something similar regarding extended relatives on both sides of the family. Ah... the War of Northern Aggression (one Mammaw told me "Yankee Aggression" is also acceptable, except in school). Though I have yet to see a letter to or from any of my relatives sculpted as eloquently as the one you found. Ah, family?...
5) shahjay said (on 01/26/04 at 09:25 PM):
Yes, but aren't all relatives bigoted raving lunatics? The most infamous I ever had was forbidden from ever entering the country back in the early 20th century, but you (as always) take the cake!
6) Wayne said (on 01/27/04 at 12:27 AM):
Aiyo. Rabid.
7) Jalal said (on 01/27/04 at 03:40 AM):
I love my rabid relatives. They have declared me an apostate from Islam. They think that I am a part of a great world wide conspiracy to destroy muslims.
My normal relatives and me get together to make fun of them.
Talk about family politics.
8) zenchick said (on 01/27/04 at 05:06 PM):
Jalal: in my family, the "normal" relatives (do note the quotation marks), when getting together to mock the others, do it in deli-line style: "Now Serving...#43...Cousin (fill in name here)!!"
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