Writing Zoo

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Comment by Michael Levin on July 26, 2024 at 5:53pm

ChatGPT: “In "A Confederate General from Big Sur," Richard Brautigan is often seen as critiquing the romanticization of the past and the absurdity of trying to impose grand narratives on one's life. The novel's protagonist, Lee Mellon, claims descent from a fictional Confederate general, which serves as a satirical commentary on the myth-making and self-delusion often associated with personal and historical identities.

Brautigan uses humor and surrealism to explore themes of disillusionment and the search for meaning in contemporary life. Through the absurdity of Mellon's quest and the outlandish adventures of the characters, Brautigan highlights the futility of clinging to heroic pasts or invented legacies in a world that is indifferent to such pretensions. The novel ultimately suggests that authenticity and personal connection are more meaningful than grand, but hollow, narratives.”

Comment by Bert Woodall on March 18, 2024 at 7:12pm

Labor’s Sweet Reward

I wonder if in a past life

I bore hundredweight blocks of adamantine 

Resentment under the lash and up

The ramps of accommodating lackeys for

Pretenders to enslaving thrones.

I wonder if in a past life

My sedulous labors, humping tons

As a bitterness mule in the livery of

False promised and pointless fear erected

Ziggurats of fossil dung as erosion bait.

I wonder if in a past life

I always knew this mordant glee

Was my best hope.

(Bert Woodall)

Comment by Michael Levin on April 20, 2009 at 9:59pm

Comment by Lois Hudson on February 21, 2009 at 12:14pm

Figurine

They whirled below me, happy, heartless, free,
While I was left alone, all to myself,
They danced, they sang, they even called to me;
I did not hear them, standing on my sheslf
Of sorrow, hanging high upon a wall
Of solemn, rigid wood; I watched that crowd
Below me, gliding through their spacious hall,
I would not join them, I was much too proud.
But suddenly the nailed shelf gave way,
I left it and went reeling through the air,
I fell amidst the others, shattered clay,
I looked about, then soon became aware
That once I was too high upn a wall
To feel the joy of others in the hall.

Lois Hudson

Comment by paul bridgman on February 20, 2009 at 7:40pm

a little diddy i wrote a long time ago
still waiting on that wish

I look into the well
I've tossed my coin
I watch the ripples swell
With my wish they are gone

Comment by Lois Hudson on February 6, 2009 at 1:52pm

Michael,
I just read your article on Being Slow. Being Slow can be so worthwhile when roasting the wonderful coffee you describe. I want some now...

Comment by Ellen Bush on January 30, 2009 at 11:04pm

Lois, I enjoyed your poem! Keep up the good work!

Comment by Lois Hudson on August 31, 2008 at 7:42pm

Marley and Me by John Grogan Funny and touching. Love of life.

Comment by Zach Lutz on August 8, 2008 at 2:11am

Will post soon, but I just had to say...love the HST pic. Never change it. :)