Blog No. 223: 42: T.S. Eliot The Hollow Men, Animal Communicator Laïla Del Monte, Kakatsitsi Drummers

March 29, 2025

The powers that be say we have about two months to turn this thing around and it all depends on us showing up in the street en masse…Wherever you go (there will be protests across the country) , please go! So important to show numbers…
And in the words of Robert Hubbell, “If you are feeling anxious and helpless, the single most important thing you can do is to exercise the First Amendment right of every American to “*assemble peaceably and to petition their government.*” The time is now!

T.S. Eliot,
The Hollow Men

THE HOLLOW MEN by T.S. Eliot 



I was introduced to this poem fifty years ago by my first boyfriend, who is the one who turned me onto poetry in the first place.  This poem stuck with me and I came across it recently and thought it particularly apt today...


Here goes...


The Hollow Men


T. S. Eliot (1888 –1965)

I

We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men 
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when 
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass 
Or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar

Shape without form, shade without colour. 
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom
Remember us—if at all—not as lost 
Violent souls, but only 
As the hollow men

 
                              II

Eyes I dare not meet in dreams 
In death’s dream kingdom 
These do not appear:
There, the eyes are 
Sunlight on a broken column 
There, is a tree swinging
And voices are
In the wind’s singing
More distant and more solemn 
Than a fading star.

Let me be no nearer 
In death’s dream kingdom
Let me also wear
Such deliberate disguises
Rat’s coat, crowskin, crossed staves
In a field
Behaving as the wind behaves 
No nearer—

Not that final meeting
In the twilight kingdom


                              III

This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man’s hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.

Is it like this
In death’s other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are 
Trembling with tenderness 
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.


                              IV

The eyes are not here 
There are no eyes here 
In this valley of dying stars
In this hollow valley
This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms

In this last of meeting places 
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river

Sightless, unless 
The eyes reappear 
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose 
Of death’s twilight kingdom 
The hope only
Of empty men.


                              V

Here we go round the prickly pear 
Prickly pear prickly pear 
Here we go round the prickly pear 
At five o’clock in the morning.

Between the idea 
And the reality 
Between the motion 
And the act 
Falls the Shadow

     For Thine is the Kingdom

Between the conception 
And the creation
Between the emotion 
And the response 
Falls the Shadow

     Life is very long

Between the desire 
And the spasm 
Between the potency 
And the existence 
Between the essence
And the descent 
Falls the Shadow

     For Thine is the Kingdom

For Thine is 
Life is
For Thine is the

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends 
This is the way the world ends 
Not with a bang but a whimper.


This poem is in the public domain.

Animal Communicator
Laïla Del Monte

Meet Laila Del Monte, animal communicator, better known in France and Spain for her ability to communicate with animals as well as to heal them. She has worked with birds cats, dogs, ferrets, goats, hamsters, horses, parrots, rabbits, rats, and turtles. Although she recognizes that she has a gift, she also believes that everyone is capable of what she does. For that reason, in addition to being the author of six books, she also teaches. To see a full 50 minute documentary about this fascinating woman and the work she does, click here.

Kakatsitsi Drummers

There are certain sounds that I find soothing and energizing at the same time--the beat of these African drums does just that for me. As a little interlude and respite from all the turmoil of our day, listen to the power of this group of traditional drummers, dancers and singers called Kakatsitsi, from the Ga tribe of Southern Ghana. They have their roots in the fishing community of Jamestown, Ghana and combine traditional rhythms and chants from their own Ga tradition while also mixing in a variety of other Western African cultural traditions.

Bulletin Board: You are Invited

A friend of mine, Pessi Margulies, is hosting an initial free zoom session on Tuesday, April 1st at 7:30pm. Entitled PRACTICAL MINDFULNESS WRITING, It promises to be a transformative, simple and yet powerful method that can bring clarity and peace to one's life. To learn more about it, click here to sign up with your email and a link will be sent to you on the day of.
You're Invited! ✨ Come curious, leave inspired!

Painting of the Week

Gert Mathiesen’s self portrait—it would have been his 73rd birthday this week!

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.

Source: T-s-eliot-the-hollow-men-kakatsitsi-drumme...

Blog No. 222: 42: Jackie Robinson, Guts, Update on Spirit, the Black Leopard

March 26, 2025

42: Jackie Robinson

So many times I find myself on a plane with good intentions of getting a lot done: cleaning out old emails, getting rid of duplicate photos, writing this blog... but most of the time I find myself doing absolutely nothing but sitting there as if I am in a trance. This last trip, I decided instead of just sitting there, to investigate the movies--something I rarely do. And I came across this film, 42, about Jackie Robinson, which I had heard of, but somehow missed in 2013 when it came out in the theatres. My dad was a big Brooklyn Dodger fan so the story interested me by osmosis.

Of course I had heard of Jackie Robinson and how he broke the color bar in baseball in the 1940s, but I didn't know any of the details. This film fills it all in. Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020) did a brilliant job of portraying Jackie Robinson, as did Harrison Ford as the courageous Branch Rickey, president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who dared to sign the first Afro-American player into major league baseball.

When asked by Robinson why he did decided to go out on a limb to integrate baseball, Rickey explained that he loved the sport but was haunted by something he did many years previous, as a college player at Ohio Wesleyan. He felt he didn't do his part and stand up enough for a black teammate, Charlie Thomas, who was attacked for the color of his skin. From that day on, his love of baseball was tainted by that feeling of shame that he didn't do enough. Fighting for Jackie Robinson and breaking the color barrier allowed him to love baseball again, untainted. I found these letters between Rickey and Robinson that touched my heart, showing the depth of their love and respect for each other.

Can you believe we are really here again? Jackie Robinson’s Army career was just wiped from a military website this week in another of the DEI purges. It has since been reinstated in at least one website, but this attempt at rewriting history will hopefully not work in the end...Each one of us, like Branch Rickey, has a role to play...

Guts

Representatives Keith Self and Sarah McBride

Once and a while I am going to feature someone that stands out like a beacon of light during these incredibly troubled times--someone who has the guts to stand up and fight for human decency, respect and kindness.

In this case, it is a small act but in light of what is going on in congress, it stands out. I am celebrating Congressman Bill Keating of Massachusetts, who had the courage to stand up to Texas representative Keith Self, punk that he is, who refused to recognize his fellow congressperson, the first transgender member of the house of representatives, Sarah McBride, by the correct gender title. Watch here to see how acts of resistance, no matter how small, can make a difference, serving as an example for us all...

Update on Spirit, the Black Leopard

Photo courtesy of Larry Linton and Happy Tails Magazine

I often wondered what became of Spirit, the black leopard Anna Breytenbach made famous many years ago when she connected with him at the Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. Jukani is a rare animal park that is truly ethical, providing lifetime care for animals on their own terms. This is where Spirit lived out her 20+ years, happily living life on his own terms as explained in this short youtube video

Painting of the Week

Flashback from the past, Pam Smilow/Gert Mathiesen Collaboration, Vessels, mixed media on canvas, approx. 72” x 130”

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

Source: jackie-robinson-guts-spirit-black-leopard-...

Blog No. 221: Hope Sandoval Music, Laser Painting, Coming for Social Security

March 15, 2025

Hope Sandoval

Hope Sandoval and Colm Ó Ciosóig of Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions

Hope Sandoval has one of the most hypnotic, mesmerizing, and beautiful voices you might never have heard of in the music world. Originally lead singer of the LA group along with the late David Roback called Mazzy Star, Sandoval went on to play with a variety of bands including her own band Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions along with Colm Ó Cíosóig . Here is a selection of some of my favorite songs beginning with perhaps the most famous from Mazzy Star: the ethereal
Fade Into You

Quiet the Winter Harbor

Flowers in December

Blue Flower

The Peasant

"The Jesus and Mary Chain

"Wild Horses (cover)

If you want to hear more from Sandoval herself, here is an interview that goes back to 2017 on New York's WFUV Fordham University radio program

Laser Painting Program

I had the privilege of meeting Deborah Dawson at Rancho La Puerta a week ago and hear about her amazing work with children and young adults with multiple disabilities and the laser painting program she facilitates with them.  Through a laser that they wear on a headband or somewhere on their body, those with limited physical mobility are able to give direction to Deborah, the facilitator, and complete large scale abstract paintings using the red laser dot as an indicator of how to apply the paint.  The choices are theirs and she is just the conduit for their expression.  Here is a video that shows the process, bringing joy and a sense of accomplishment to all those involved in creating these large scale paintings. 

Georgios. We use a hand rig for Georgios, play Greek music and he chooses the largest of brushes.

Chelsea. Delightful disposition. Also non verbal with multiple disabilities. We get loud and messy. She also wears a head laser.

Hazel is in a wheelchair with limited hand use. Her sessions are exploratory and therapeutic.

Vicky. age 21. She is non-verbal has multiple disabilities. She wears a head laser and is very clear about her color choices, brush sizes and when she's done with a painting.

Coming for Social Security

I have tried to stay away from politics in this newsletter, instead publishing upbeat inspirational entries to keep our spirits up during these incredibly hard and perilous times. But avoiding the subject is increasingly hard these days when the outrage keeps coming, assaulting the very heart of democracy and our country to the core.

But here is a story where pushback seems to be working, at least for the moment. Listen to representative John Larson delivering an outcry and appeal to his fellow committee members in Congress as it relates to social security. And the subsequent effect it seems to have had...Public outcry does work. Keep it coming!

Painting of the Week

Pam Smilow, Childhood’s End Series, mixed media on paper, 22” x 30”

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

Source: hope-sandoval-the-warm-inventions-mazzy-st...