DANTE'S STATUE - LINCOLN CENTER

Autumn Song

Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf
How the heart feels a languid grief
Laid on it for a covering,
And how sleep seems a goodly thing
In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?

And how the swift beat of the brain
Falters because it is in vain,
In Autumn at the fall of the leaf
Knowest thou not? and how the chief
Of joys seems--not to suffer pain?

Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf
How the soul feels like a dried sheaf
Bound up at length for harvesting,
And how death seems a comely thing
In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?

Dante is considered the greatest of Italian Romantic poets, especially since hthe Florentine broke from the tradition of writing in Latin to present his works in Tuscan, the middle age Italian dialect of his home. Only to be faithful to the doctrines of the Church as typical for most people of the Middles Ages. most of the translation tend to come from the work of Classical English poet. Who spoke in such a manner?

George Washington In London

In the Spring of 2014 I was waiting for Brock Dundee in Trafalgar Square in London. Tourists mounted the four lions at the foot of Lord Nelson's Column for photos and art lovers queued before the National Gallery to view the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition, while busy Londoners strode across the square for various rendezvouses in the capitol.

Brock showed up on time and I asked the avant-garde filmmaker, if he wanted to see the exhibition.

"With all those tourists?" He shook with revulsion. "Better I take you to the best pub in London. It's right around the corner."

"Sounds good to me." It was already past noon and we walked toward St. Martin in the Fields. I stopped in my tracks upon seeing a familiar personage posed in bronze on a thick plinth.

"There's the Father of your Nation."

"What's he doing here?" The writing on the plinth stated that the statue had been donated by the people of Virginia."

"Supposedly the soil underneath the statue had been imported from the USA." Brock had lived in New York for a number of years. He had almost married the most beautiful girl in the city. The Scot had even written a play for her. It had something to do with a revolt on a Caribbean island. She left him for Hollywood. We didn't talk about those days now.

"What for?"

"The Father Of Your Nation once said he would never step foot on British soil again."

"Washington had never been to England." I had minored in American History at university.

"You're forgetting that America was British soil before the Revolution." Brock hooked his arm with mine. "Let's get us some beer."

"In honor of George." I headed east with a parting nod.

"He was a man who never lied." Brock was an historian too.

"Just like my father." My old man came from the same stock, only we hailed from Maine.

There were no statues in London honoring anyone from the Pine Tree State.

I know, because I googled it.

Statues of Trump

For the final five days of February over a thousand die-hard Conservative White GOP adherents attended the CPAC conference in Orlando, Florida. A large gold-painted fiberglass statue of Trump greeted the conventioneers filing into the Hyatt Regency, creating an instant star for the faithful Despicables. Selfies were free for MAGA supporters.

A California-based artist created the Trump statue and told CNN reporters, "Two years ago, when I saw all those statues of naked Trump and Trump on a toilet, I said, 'You know what? I can do better."

Christian devotees worshipped en masse before the 'Idol'.

The 'Philanderer' remains their God/Protector of white rights and various speakers on the stage shaped as a fascist rune claimed victory in the 2020 election.

They love 'old Fatso'.

Florida governor DeSantis exhorted the hundreds in the hall with a call to arms, “When the left comes after you, will you stay strong? Or will you fall? he said. “When you engage in the battles ahead, hold the line. Stand your ground and don’t ever, ever back down.”

The roster of speakers avowed their loyalty to Trump.

The highlight of the lost fest was Trump's return to the bright lights.

"Do you miss me yet?"

"Who loves you as much as I love you?"

"We are now America last."

He spared none of his enemies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRrpOuSREcc

Little Dickus strode off the stage to a standing ovation and the Village People's YMCA.

The 'Idol' left to room shortly thereafter with idol worshippers in tow like the Hebrews before the Golden Calf in the desert, while Moses received the Ten Commandments.

Its creator told reporters, "I hope one day it will be in the Trump Library, ignoring the fact that Trump's only writing exists on Twitter.

Maybe the Trump Blimp can ghost-write something for him.

It's a long shot, but Trump likes those and teenage golden showers.

And so do his followwers, because a god/president can do no wrong.

The Sacred Statue

Tear down the Confederates and the Indian Killers.

One man serves a statue.

A man who boldly went where no one went before.

Captain James T Kirk.