Give me some grog, or I’ll cut you right through
Yo Ho, Yo Ho, Yo Ho
Cause I’m washed up ashore, and there’s nothing to do
Yo Ho, Yo Ho, Yo Ho
Wenches are good, till they steal all yer’ gold
Yo Ho, Yo Ho, Yo Ho
So give me some grog, for to chase off the cold
Yo Ho, Yo Ho, Yo Ho
All I need is the air that I breathe and to love you
Wednesday I found out that two of my good friends were arrested for a series of church fires here in Alabama. I’m still having trouble fathoming it at this point. Both of these guys were in my theatre class, and I loved them to death. I still do. They really did something foolish, and I’m just totally broken up for them. I can empathize with them, totally. I’ve never done something so incredibly looked down upon, but I’ve done so many stupid things, from writing in permanent marker on my work uniform, to lying to my friends, to punching at least 5 holes in my wall at home, and all this completely sober. These guys were drunk, and made a big mistake, and they’re gonna have to live with it for the rest of their lives.
Ben and I used to sit up on the quad and jam sometimes. He always made me play “Dimming of the Day” by Richard Thompson. It’s such a beautiful song, and I doubt I’ll ever play it without thinking of him again. Russ and Ben are such funny likable guys, and this is such an aberration. I imagine there’s no two more remorseful guys on the planet right now. Please say a prayer for them. If anyone needs to understand what mercy and grace feel like right now, it’s these two. People think I’m the type of person who would do something crazy like this: I’m the quiet one with a mean look on his face. I think I was the last person to see Russ before they took him away. I was walking back across the quad Late Tuesday night, and he was being escorted out of the dorm by two campus police officers and some guy in a white dress shirt. He didn’t make eye contact with me. He looked ashamed. I didn’t know what he had done then. I thought it was probably something minor. I had no idea it was going to be national news. This has turned the world upside down. What’s the future of our play? I’m still not sure. We don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s hard to imagine doing it without them. Ben was Ebenezer Scrooge and I was Young Ebenezer Scrooge. Russ was Fezziwigg.
Oh, Lord. What bizarre and awful times. Show us the way.
Always
an awkward transition
the
melting snows and early rains
lead
to the river’s swelling
as a
young woman’s new-made curves
straining
against the seams
of
her never-worn dress.
Sweet
scented air seems to pulse
as
the perfumed and pure
anticipate
their lovers.
berserai 