Confucius
in America, 1968.
The
people of Ch’î sent Lû an all-girl
band. Chî Hwan took charge of it, and for three days normal court business was
suspended. Confucius left after the first.*
 |
| NOLA, spring 1968.† Wearing Wallabees. |
New
Orleans. He is listening to the girl on the streetcar, long brown hair, long
flowered dress, smelling of gardenias, tuberose, and sweat: She is singing to
herself the names of the streets: “Urania’s called Felicity, Polymnia’s in
church. Euterpe is on keyboards, Terpsichore’s on dance. Melpomene cries out, Thalia
laughs; Erato writes it down. Clio then Calliope . . . .” He can’t hear the
end. She has pulled the cord and is walking to the door. Her feet are bare.
04.27.20
_______________
* The quotation is from The Analects 18, 4.
†
The last we saw him was playing
parabolic golf with Old Tom Morris at Prestwick. See here.
A brief catalog of his adventures in Europe and the Middle East before then begins here.
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