Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Book Review: Breakfast of Champions

I finally finished reading Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions after about two and a half months. It should have been a very quick read, but the book just didn't command my attention. I've never read any Vonnegut before, so naturally I was excited to see what was in store for me. I was rather disappointed, I must say. I will offer that this could be partly attributable to the fact that the book I read immediately prior to this one, Jitterbug Perfume, instantly assumed the title of "best book I've ever read"; it's hard to follow that up. Sure, B-fast of Champs had me laughing at times, wincing at others, and occasionally admiring Vonnegut's boldness of statements and strange plot twists (for example, he writes himself into the book, as himself, the author amidst the story he is telling) - which, to be fair, are reactions that are better than apathy. But all in all, this book of alleged profound social commentary just wasn't all that engaging; it wasn't until the very end that anything interesting started happening.

All that being said, I'm not going to give up on Vonnegut. I've never read his more famous books, so I'll give him another chance. But for now, next up in my queue is Voltiare's Candide. John recommended/lent this one to me as it is one of his favorite books and, due my my fondness of Jitterbug Perfume, he thought Candide would offer similarly exciting adventures. I'll let you know how it goes!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

In the seventh grade Sister Viviana resentfully called me a "simpleton" in front of the whole class because my boisterous laughter had disrupted her lesson. When she asked me what was so funny I claimed that there was no reason for my noticeably amused reaction, so she implied that I must be dimwitted.

She taught me the meaning of the word that day and for some reason I've never forgotten it. Whenever I think of that term, I think of that experience.

Someone may think me a simpleton now as I sit on my balcony, staring at the sky, with seemingly no reason for the huge grin that is plastered across my face.

I'm just so incredibly content with everything right now - you could call me whatever you want and I wouldn't care.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The BBQ Tragedy

The night had settled into the bosom of comfortable intent;
As one wall of barriers descended,
another wall, strong and sturdy as ever, was forgotten.
The cement was still warm under the roots of our seats
but a chill floated through the air and about our bodies,
as Apollo died behind the hills of afternoon heat.
The feast fueled on and the guests laughed merrily,
drinking of juices aged in wooden barrels,
liquids that had lived a full lifetime already.
This was the afterlife - a confused limbo,
awaiting the fates of condemnation or exaltation.
As people sang and swayed into lush gardens of the night,
others sat and stewed, unlearning what they knew to be true.
With bursts of noise the friends banded together,
remembering the reasons for their loyal companionship,
while Dionysus smiled upon them.
Among the others, silent as regret,
enemies were secretly pledged;
as guests filtered out and the laughter abruptly died,
demons began to writhe.

I wonder if eternity exists and if fates can be changed,
or if this life is just one long delay.