Booknotes: 101 Poems Against War, edited by Matthew Hollis and Paul Keegan
Soldiers who wish to be a hero
Are pratically zero
But those who wish to be civilians
Jesus, they run into the millions
–Graffiti outside a WWII Latrine
I started reading this collection when the US went to war with Iran. “101 Poems…” was published on the eve of the last US war, and I find myself marking the yeas of my life in the wars that my country has started and fought.
Like all anthologies, there are poems that spoke to me and poems that didn’t. Here are some that did.
lines from “The Recruiting Serjeant” by Isaac Bickerstaffe.
“What a Charming Thing’s a Battle!”
Repeated as refrain. First as the sublime, war as sensory pleasure. Second as tragedy, casualties mounting, but quantifiable, countable. Finally as horrific, visceral farce, limbs and blood and guts mixing and the eradication of all identity, all humanity supplicated to violence.
“What a Charming Thing’s a Battle!”
Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
Years ago, my wife had shared with me the anti-war poetry of Wilfred Owen, written while he was enlisted, and serving in the French front of the war to end all wars. I had forgotten that gift, until she reminded me when I mentioned I was reading this book. Dulce Et Decorum Est makes a mockery of the idea of war as anything glorified, with its wild-eyed images of men dying horribly in gassed trenches. Owen himself died a few days before the armistice that ended WWI.
The Conscientious Objector by Edna St. Vincent Millay
This is one of the poems I had known before reading this book, but I was glad to read it again, like having an inspiring and hopeful conversation with an old teacher or mentor. I first read it last year when ICE started knocking on my neighbors doors. A reminder that, even in moments of extreme terror, the choices that we make to ourselves and each other, matter. Perhaps they matter more then, than any other time.
The Horses by Edwin Muir
I have a thing for poems about strange horses. This is a poem about the world after war, what giving up war might allow us to be and to become. Full of apocalptic and prophetic and anti-modernist language. Strange horses, indeed.
War has been given a Bad Name by Bertholt Brecht
Many of these poems are funny, but the humor is a splintering door on broken hinges, barely holding back against the madness and horror on the other side. The best war is, of course, always the one we will wage next time, after this bloody, ill-conceived, pointless war is done.
My Triumph lasted till the Drums by Emily Dickinson
To those who die, it doesn’t matter if we feel bad about the last war. The clear-eyed retrospective answer to Brecht’s satirical question.
“The bayonets contrition
is nothing to the Dead.”
History by John Burnside
War often turns my thoughts to children, my own and others. This poem, written in September 2001, as my country turned violence done to it into more violence, uses that very parental inclination as a meditation point for asking
“how to be alive
in all this gazed-upon and cherished world
and do no harm”
It’s Spring break at Hartwick so things are a bit quieter.
Alanna went to the conference of the Human Biology Association to present a research poster, so I flew solo with the kiddos this week. I’m very proud of her for continuing to be an active member of her intellectual sub-discipline and showcasing her interesting work.
Lots of camp planning!
I spent some time on some long overdue NAGPRA work.
I finished reading Sinclair Lewis’s “It Can’t Happen Here." Alanna read it during Trump I and has re-read it since, and praised it as a book with a rich analysis of the mundane reality of American-style fascism, and I finally picked it up at her urging. She’s absolutely right (of course she is!), in that it’s a book that locates the strands of American life, culture, and economy that are conducive to authoritarian fascist takeover, and it is shockingly prescient in the ways that the current world is mirroring its insights. What I noticed was Lewis’s writing style, which begins in a Mark Twainian satirical mode, with a rural pastoral setting populated by eccentric and charmingly humorous characters, but gradually shifts towards a frighteningly realist, almost journalistic accounting of the violence and displacement wrought by the fascist government of the folksy, homespun bigotry of Buzz Windrip. Hard, but rewarding reading.
In MUST204, we talked about how to photograph objects for cataloging purposes, and started talking about the history of collections management. I also had them help me lock down Poe’s head (or at least, a foam and clay bust of it!)
I spent a lot of time working on our upcoming Spring Break Arts Camp. Yikes! There’s a lot to do.
On Thursday, we screened “Toby Dammit” at the Museum, with remarks and commentary by the wonderful Dr. David Cody. The film is strange and surreal and humorous, with all kinds of post-modern touches. And David’s commentary showed how many of the striking images in the movie reference Poe himself and the images that other illustrators made of his work in the Golden age of illustration.
Good Things:
I listened to a ton of David Bazan this week, after purchasing “Curse Your Branches” at last week’s Bandcamp Friday. “Branches” is great, with its themes of trying to escape all fetters (whether they are religion or addiction) in favor of an embracing and unconditional humanity. But I also went back and listened to earlier Pedro the Lion records, especially “It’s Hard to Find a Friend." The songwriting is simpler, but Bazan’s astonishing voice carries all the loads of the weary and hopeful characters he sketches.
As a treat for finishing the exhibit, I ordered myself a copy of the legendary “Real Book”, a dubiously legal collection of musical charts for jazz standards. It’s been fun to wrestle with weird chord shapes and chordal melodies on the guitar.
On Friday, the kiddos had a day off, so we went to Binghamton and threw tons of tokens into Robot City Arcade, at lunch at New York Pizzeria, and took a spin through the Discovery Center in Ross Park.
Alanna and I watched Ronin. I had heard John and Jamelle sing its praises on “Unclear and Present Danger”, and it did not disappoint; a smart, stylish crime thriller about loyalty, with amazing and exciting car chases. Recommended!
I spent much of the week working on issues related to our upcoming Spring Break Arts Camp. We’re really excited, but there is a lot of work to do!
I did some work advertising our next Poe-related event, a screening of odd and wonderful Fellini Poe-adaptation “Toby Dammit”. It’ll be next Thursday!
In MUST204, we talked about collections databases (and evaluated some potential new databases) as well as how to label museum objects.
Good Things:
Over the weekend, we had a busy social calendar. We went to a friend’s house for wonderful dinner saturday night and then Sunday night had over a few people to help us dig our way through one of my favorite recipes, Puerco Pibil
On Bandcamp Friday, I picked up a copy of Dave Bazan’s “curse your branches." I love Bazan’s rich, weary voice and his aspirational and hopeful faith in the goodness of the world, and this record does not, so far, disappoint.
We had the reception for our newest exhibit “The Presence of Poe: The Life & Legacy of a Literary Icon.” It was a mad dash to get it finished and printed and up on the walls, but it ended up being a wonderful opening for a really fascinating and exciting exhibit. I was proud to work with Dr. David Cody as a co-curator, and am thankful for all the students who donated time to help get the installation finished. Come check it out!
Dominic and I finished reading “The Monster’s Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How it Shook our World” by David K. Randall. It’s a fascinating popular history about the origins of American Museum, the development of paleontology, and the discovery of the first T-Rex. It follows the life and career of Barnum Brown but takes extensive detours into the origins of paleontology, the “Bone Wars”, the competitions of 19th century Museums, and a lot more. Dominic and I had never read a non-fiction book together before, but I really enjoyed reading this with him, and the conversations we would have along the way.
I have been working frantically to finish the design work for the Poe exhibit, and I did! Now I just have to get everything else installed before the opening on Thursday.
This week was Oneonta schools' Winter Break, so I had the kiddos with me MWF. They were, as usual, delightful work companions, and I tried to make sure that we took time to do fun things together.
This week was also the week of our (now annual) “World of Water” program for kids. We partnered with Hanford Mills Museum, and had a wonderful selection of games, crafts, activities, and snacks. We had a great turnout all three days, and it was a fun time for all concerned (at least it was for me!)
In MUST204, we talked about collections policies, and monitoring and adjusting environmental conditions in Museums.
In MUST204, we talked about condition reporting, and also museum nomenclature.
Poe, Poe, and more Poe. It’s starting to come together, but there’s still so much to do.
I finished reading “Dilla Time” by Dan Charnas. It’s a biography and musical study of the work of the legendary hip-hop producer J Dilla. The book was wonderful and really scrutinized what made Dilla so astonishing and unconventional as a beat-maker. The only problem I had was that I kept needing to go to youtube to listen to Dilla’s songs as they were being analyzed in the book.
Tuesday, we gave a tour to a SUNY Oneonta Museum studies class.
I did some work on our kids program “World of Water”, which we’ll be holding next week during the schools winter break.
I finished reading Stanislaw Lem’s “Solaris”. It was wonderful, haunting, and tragic.
The semester started at Hartwick, and this Spring, I’m teaching MUST204: Collections Management. We started with introductions, and the basics of object handling.
Much of my week was spent working on the Poe exhibit, particularly the design work. I’m drawing inspiration from the great Poe illustrators of the Golden Age of Illustration and trying to give the exhibit a design that suitably supports the amazing collection we’re showcasing.
I’ve started working with a student from Hartwick’s collaboration with EmpowerU. We’re still getting to know each other but he’s been a productive addition to the Museum so far.
I did some work planning future programs, including a collaboration with Hanford Mills Museum.
I finished reading RF Kuang’s Babel, a romantic anti-colonial novel about language, power, friendship and revolution. It was profoundly moving in places, and especially so as the world was turning itself over as I read it.
We had a crazy week, weather-wise. Last Friday and Saturday wre shockingly cold, and that was followed by basically two days of heavy snow fall. That led to cancelled everything on Monday, and it’s also been followed by very cold temperatures all week.
In the Museum, I’ve been busting my ass to finish the design work for our upcoming Poe exhibit. I am very happy that the gallery will be painted by early next week so I can start with the installation. Whew!
Good things:
We had a wonderful birthday party for Hazel on Saturday. She had a fun group of friends over, and we decorated cupcakes, played games, and had a great old time.
Alanna and I finished watching “Here We Go”, or at least as much of it as we can on Britbox. It’s a cringe-y show, but peppered with genuinely funny lines and a deep humanity. All of it is anchored by the astonishly brilliant comedic acting of the great Katherine Parkinson.
True Things:
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong by Adam Serwer/the Atlantic – I remain profoundly moved by and in complete awe of the people of Minneapolis, who have led one of the most successful protest movements in American history. This story, by Adam Serwer, captures the beauty and bravery of what they did:
Every social theory undergirding Trumpism has been broken on the steel of Minnesotan resolve. The multiracial community in Minneapolis was supposed to shatter. It did not. It held until Bovino was forced out of the Twin Cities with his long coat between his legs.
It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and the President’s petty closure of parks and museums spurred to make our museum open to the public. We also had a talk from Harry Matthews about activism and community building in Oneonta. This is the last week of our exhibit of Mr. Matthews astonishing collection, and his talk was a great way to cap that off.
I had to cover for Dr. Kendall in his “Museums and Film” class, and I screened “The Woman in Gold”, the Art of the Steal, and “the Duke”. I also led a discussion about inclusion and exclusion in museums, in which I got to speak a bit about how I try and balance questions of inclusion with other logistical issues.
We had a visit from Greene High School as part of Hartwick’s Art Discovery Day.
I did some work on the design of the Poe exhibit, as well as on our Spring Arts Camp.
