Sunday, October 21, 2007

Yet in tracking the history of those dead faiths and dead eras, Quinn came to see that the way people clung to their ignorant beliefs was what shaped the conscience of their age. However dead those beliefs were now, they had once elevated men to heroism and bliss, reduced them to cowardice and sorrow.

1 comment:

Ahab Cloud said...

From the Preface to
William Kennedy's _Albany Trio_

which I fell into
again

Saturday night after picking up a copy
for a buck

at a book fair in Tarrytown...
This small act

led to one of those sweet Saturday nights
where I devoured too many pages

of too many books
and woke up still speaking

other men's languages. Still I keep wondering
when we learned

that preparing for life is more important
than doing life

and I'm tired, tired, tired
of that. Who can cook me

a nice apple pie
and slice it for me

and share a piece with me
and say fine things?