Poem for Wednesday

When
By Sharon Olds

I wonder now only when it will happen,
when the young mother will hear the
noise like somebody's pressure cooker
down the block, going off. She'll go out on the yard,
holding her small daughter in her arms,
and there, above the end of the street, in the
air above the line of the tress,
she will see it rising, lifting up
over the horizon, the upper rim of the
gold ball, large as a giant
planet starting to lift up over ours.
She will stand there in the yard holding her daughter,
looking at it rise and grow and blossom and rise,
and the child will open her arms to it,
it will look so beautiful.

* * * *

Well, I seem to have liked last night's Smallville rather more than other people. I think it's because I don't want consistency of characterization, which is what other people seem to be arguing for. Here's the thing: this is a Ken Biller network show with a young demographic, and "consistent" terrifies me in such a context. I think about "consistent" Kathryn Janeway of Voyager's final two seasons versus the dynamic, evolving character of the first three years, and I shudder.

A "consistent" Lex, I imagine, would be on a perpetual downward spiral. Yes, now we have to deal with some weeks when he's pretty damn villainous and other weeks when he's a sweet messed-up guy, but at least that means there won't be a point of no return, or at least that it can be put off indefinitely -- one week we'll have Evil Lex, the next we'll have Clark's buddy. Similarly, one week we'll have surprisingly mature Clark and the next week we'll have stupid annoying selfish Clark, but that not only keeps the character dynamic, it's actually somewhat realistic for a teenager. Pete is pretty darned consistent and also pretty darned boring. Ditto Lana though multiply the boring times three.

Re: Clark/Chloe, which some people seem to think was revived in a major way last night: I note that every time they were together, it was for the voyeuristic benefit of others. Were they ever alone together after the lollipop scene? Lana's fears aside, I see no indication whatsoever that Clark wants Chloe, except when Pete or Lex is watching and jealous. Red Kryptonite or no Red Kryptonite, secrets or no secrets, one doesn't keep sabotaging one's relationship with a particular person so spectacularly unless one really doesn't want that relationship. Even on cliched television.

I love Maureen Dowd.

From the wonderful , a voice of reason from 1917.

Have to go back to the dentist today to get a 20-year-old filling replaced. I believe this is the only silver in my mouth and they're replacing it with white stuff. I almost feel nostalgic.

I did want this. I love that the lesbians got the only truly passionate romantic number in the musical.


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