1/15/08
“Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold.”
- Andre Maurois, The Art of Living, 1940
On this cold, dark, snowy morning, January 15, at 7:00, Trainee T. graduated from Boot Camp. It was like a scene from a movie, or novel. The whole camp, about 200 strong, lined up to watch the ritual. They were dressed in shabby orange work suits. Their faces reflected a kind of hopelessness that can only be described as depressing. A look of despair. We, the loved ones who showed up to collect our men and women children, looked on as the sound of marching feet and shouted cadences slowly came within earshot.
M.D.O.C. (Michigan Department of Corrections) guards, dressed like low budget storm troopers, looked on as the graduates stepped out, identified themselves, stepped back, and stood at attention. The last question asked was, “Are you ready to go home.” A loud and clear ”Sir, yes sir” was strongly echoed in unison. With that, the Trainees were dismissed into the arms of their families. Tears ruled the day.
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3 comments:
Difficult to comment on this post, but I dig the Courbet. You continue to entertain me with the art that you present.
Finally got around to listening to Les' CD-- I LOVE "Helen O'Loy"!! I remember seeing Walrus once, but it was so long ago, I have no idea what the band sounded like; however, I do recall liking it. It's great to hear this excellent material. I have always maintained that you are an excellent songwriter; this tune is further proof.
The Incognito CD was pretty cool, too.
RJ
I have to chime in and agree with everything RJ said. I always particularly loved "Helen O'Loy", too.
By the way, if readers want to hear some really interesting music, check out RJ's "Ambient Anomaly" page at MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/ambientanomaly). There are some really creative "ambient trip-hop" tunes there. I've been listening to the entire CD and really love it! RJ's MySpace blues guitar page is also well worth checking out.
- Les
Hey, Les-- thanks for the plug!
RJ
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