Dante is unapproachable to me

Dante is unapproachable to me

fiction

edward w pritchard

Nessum maggior dolore che ricordarsi del tempo felice nella miseria. [There is no greater pain than to recall a happier time in misery.] Such is my reflection of my trip to Dante's intimate chapel in Florence.

Alas I cannot maintain sadness of the past anymore. Instead I will wonder what happen to the ten missing Botticelli's  drawings of the original 100 plus drawing of Dante and Virgil's descent through Hell.

Seven of Botticelli's  drawings are in the Vatican Library and that is appropriate. Sadly others  are in a museum in Berlin that weren't confiscated as penalty for foul deeds after WW2. 

Botticelli's  drawing of Dante's Comedia are a masterpiece. 

Myself sitting in the solemnity of Dante's chapel in Florence 20 + years ago seeing the future I realized Hell is a personal realization of the unsaid. 

Still I acknowledge that Dante's and Bocassio's masterworks are among the World's greatest art. 

Dante's Hell is unapproachable to me. Hell hath no exit for he who mourns. 

 

a very long hallway corridor to the office

 a very long hallway corridor to the office

fiction

edward w pritchard

Some time past back in ancient Florence, Italy, maybe Lorenzo had built, for one of his endless remodeling projects to pass the time, [and that's Ok], a very long raised hallway corridor lined with pictures, from his office to home, rather inconspicuously raised above the busy streets filled with the hoi polloi; the corridor built so he wouldn't have to walk among the common people. Back then no one needed snow tires to get to work, for when I visited Florence to see the art there was no snow in the Summer, and also no cars available in reality then in Lorenzo and Savaranola's time.

Remembering my trip to Florence, using time's imaginary arrow to travel backwards in my head, I decided after to reread parts of Stephen Hawkings " a brief History of time, chapter 9, 10th edition" the arrow of time". Previously on time travel as well I had read Robin Le Poidevin et al " the philosophy of time". I suppose I believe backward time travel to be for now in reality impossible but practically possible thinking backwards in the human memory concerning things past of strongly felt emotion, as also in elephants, dolphins and maybe apes.  

Yes, I don't do remodeling projects because of  practical considerations. However, I often recall in my memory, the excellent train service in Italy from town to town and village to village. Would that we had train travel accessible here to us the Hoi polloi so those we care for didn't have to drive in the snow home to work to raise funds to pay for remodeling projects. Remodeling projects being practical and reasonable if one is so inclined.  

ps- Hawking uses a lot of ! in his writing but it's forgivable all things being considered

   

the State of the Union

 the State of the Union

fiction

edward w pritchard

No one in America can afford to check into a Hospital for several days with an unknown condition that Doctors and technologies can't identify. In a few weeks the medical bills could be approaching one million dollars. Currently inflation is rising rapidly. 

Hopefully the patient had Medicare, Medicaid or a very substantial net worth. 

The state of the Union? You can't get there from here.

back in Carolina

 back in Carolina

fiction
edward w pritchard

someone mention North Carolina to me today:

Sometimes when it's so still and silent here where I temporarily abide I glance up at the bluest sky and find myself back in ancient Carolina.

The children are young again as I walk about and I can always hear their voices playing happily safe in the next room. The little woman just finished cleaning the kitchen and is about to begin playing Beethoven on her piano. She is happily singing but I can't hear her original voice. 

I am outside walking in the distant past along the barrier Islands walking in sanctuary along the ocean with the original native Americans who walked so far to settle our country. Walking quietly through the grave  yards I count the fallen soldiers from North Carolina; where more Confederate soldiers died fighting in our civil War than from any other State in the Confederacy. Black soldiers in North Carolina died fighting for the Union North. All of the dead of North Carolina are deathly silent as I walk through  time about their State.

The Cherokee are hiding in the mountains of the woods. John Ross their leader is leading the people  one last prayer before they have to be removed from their earthly paradise.

driving in the future

 driving in the future

fiction

edward w pritchard

Everyone's talking about electric cars and trucks in the future. Seems like I am the only one wishing for more trains now or later. Trains could go from everywhere and anywhere in America economically. 

There's an incredible sunk cost in America to promote cars and trucks and ignore train  travel.  

Despite the romance and economy of train travel vested interests in America  prohibit the further development of train travel in America. 

It's sad and uneconomical.