by Pa Rock
Poetry Appreciator
This weekend marked the passing of two American giants, one a war hero and indomitable political force, and the other a man of letters whose works enlivened television, movies, and the American stage for decades. American fighter pilot and statesman, John McCain passed away Saturday evening after a long and brutal battle with brain cancer, and playwright Neil Simon died on Sunday.
John McCain, the son and grandson of U.S. Navy admirals, was shot down and captured by the Viet Cong and served five years in North Vietnam's most notorious prison, the Hanoi Hilton, where he refused to accept an early release based on his family prominence. McCain, who was tortured during his captivity, became a fierce advocate against the use of torture, and especially water-boarding, by American military forces during the thirty-two years in which he served in the U.S. Senate representing Arizona. McCain made two runs for the U.S. presidency as a Republican. In the battle of 2000 he was defeated for his party's nomination by George W. Bush, the eventual winner of that election, and even though he managed to secure the Republican nomination in 2008, he was defeated in the general election by Barack Obama.
Both George W. Bush and Barack Obama will be eulogizing John McCain at his funeral. McCain made a point of letting Donald Trump know that he would not be welcome at his funeral.
John McCain was eighty-one at the time of his death.
Neil Simon, who passed away at the age of ninety-one, was a scriptwriter who had an ear for dialogue and could find humor in almost any situation, no matter how mundane. He began his professional career writing for the new medium of television, but by the 1960's Simon was cranking out hit Broadway comedies almost as fast as he could type. In 1966 he had four plays running simultaneously on the Great White Way. He later became a strong presence in the movie industry. Simon's forte was comedies.
Today I have chosen works by Claude McKay, a pivotal figure in the Harlem Renaissance, to honor John McCain and Neil Simon. The poem for McCain, "If We Must Die," previously appeared in this space in 2015. It is a poem about courage, and , in McKay's case, resistance to lynchings and racial violence.
For Senator John S. McCain
The Maverick
If We Must Die
by Claude McKay
Poetry Appreciator
This weekend marked the passing of two American giants, one a war hero and indomitable political force, and the other a man of letters whose works enlivened television, movies, and the American stage for decades. American fighter pilot and statesman, John McCain passed away Saturday evening after a long and brutal battle with brain cancer, and playwright Neil Simon died on Sunday.
John McCain, the son and grandson of U.S. Navy admirals, was shot down and captured by the Viet Cong and served five years in North Vietnam's most notorious prison, the Hanoi Hilton, where he refused to accept an early release based on his family prominence. McCain, who was tortured during his captivity, became a fierce advocate against the use of torture, and especially water-boarding, by American military forces during the thirty-two years in which he served in the U.S. Senate representing Arizona. McCain made two runs for the U.S. presidency as a Republican. In the battle of 2000 he was defeated for his party's nomination by George W. Bush, the eventual winner of that election, and even though he managed to secure the Republican nomination in 2008, he was defeated in the general election by Barack Obama.
Both George W. Bush and Barack Obama will be eulogizing John McCain at his funeral. McCain made a point of letting Donald Trump know that he would not be welcome at his funeral.
John McCain was eighty-one at the time of his death.
Neil Simon, who passed away at the age of ninety-one, was a scriptwriter who had an ear for dialogue and could find humor in almost any situation, no matter how mundane. He began his professional career writing for the new medium of television, but by the 1960's Simon was cranking out hit Broadway comedies almost as fast as he could type. In 1966 he had four plays running simultaneously on the Great White Way. He later became a strong presence in the movie industry. Simon's forte was comedies.
Today I have chosen works by Claude McKay, a pivotal figure in the Harlem Renaissance, to honor John McCain and Neil Simon. The poem for McCain, "If We Must Die," previously appeared in this space in 2015. It is a poem about courage, and , in McKay's case, resistance to lynchings and racial violence.
For Senator John S. McCain
The Maverick
If We Must Die
by Claude McKay
If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Making their mock at our accursèd lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
O kinsmen! we must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!
What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!
And, for Neil Simon
The Bard of Broadway
On Broadway
by Claude McKay
About me young careless feet
Linger along the garish street;
Above, a hundred shouting signs
Shed down their bright fantastic glow
Upon the merry crowd and lines
Of moving carriages below.
Oh wonderful is Broadway — only
My heart, my heart is lonely.
Desire naked, linked with Passion,
Goes trutting by in brazen fashion;
From playhouse, cabaret and inn
The rainbow lights of Broadway blaze
All gay without, all glad within;
As in a dream I stand and gaze
At Broadway, shining Broadway — only
My heart, my heart is lonely.
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