Terror knows no bounds, is an attempt at boundless contempt for society's limits. It appeals, therefore, to those who believe that limits are wrong, or currently are of the wrong shape - paradoxically, many who enact terror desire more, not less, limit. Yet they work in chaos who desire a new order. Mumbai, a great city of the world, is currently facing a new kind of freewheeling madness and cruelty that makes artistic depictions of the urban same, in films (like the recent Batman) jejeune and false. What is being expressed in these terrifying acts is that free agents of ruthless determination can move at will through serious cities, nearly unhindered - yet ultimately, hindered. That battles are still raging, more than 24 hours after the initial attacks, is alarming. Anarchy, it now appears, can appear anywhere, in even the midst of great civilisations, and establish small failed states. The 21st century is falling apart. Obama can only do so much, and most of the world seems to be tearing itself to bits.
THAT HANDSOME MAN A PERSONAL BRIEF REVIEW BY TODD SWIFT I could lie and claim Larkin, Yeats , or Dylan Thomas most excited me as a young poet, or even Pound or FT Prince - but the truth be told, it was Thom Gunn I first and most loved when I was young. Precisely, I fell in love with his first two collections, written under a formalist, Elizabethan ( Fulke Greville mainly), Yvor Winters triad of influences - uniquely fused with an interest in homerotica, pop culture ( Brando, Elvis , motorcycles). His best poem 'On The Move' is oddly presented here without the quote that began it usually - Man, you gotta go - which I loved. Gunn was - and remains - so thrilling, to me at least, because so odd. His elegance, poise, and intelligence is all about display, about surface - but the surface of a panther, who ripples with strength beneath the skin. With Gunn, you dressed to have sex. Or so I thought. Because I was queer (I maintain the right to lay claim to that
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Your most important prediction concerning how the mass of humanity think and would react in the American election, was 100% wrong, as you stated that though it pained you to think the worst, you firmly believed McCain would triumph. And after the event, you removed the post predicting in a resigned world weary tenor, this failed prophecy, thus leaving no record of it.
As for your predictions about terrorism, in Mumbai and elsewhere, while I agree with you that it is serious, and that we are in a watershed decade/time/era-or/whatever-else-it-might-be-called, I don't think that this means that we are "tearing ourselves to bits." Apocalyptic? Yes. Apocalypse? No. The decline of a civilization à la Rome? Yes. Bin Laden will ultimately be depicted as something along the lines of Attila, but more effective. But again, he won't be the ruler. There will be endless conflicts between nations, city-states, districts, etc. ad nauseum, just like in the dark-ages. Have you seen the movie, The Moneymakers? Have your read your Hobsbaum? Ahem. I need not say more.
Thanks for posting