Been re-reading George Higgins book since he and Charlotte Innes are reading at the (re-)launch of Fourth Friday Formal in a couple of weeks. This is a pretty well-know poem of George's, but it is close to my heart -- closer each time I read it:
VILLANELLE
(Spielberg visited an inner city school in response to a class of
black students who had laughed inappropriately at a showing of
his movie about the holocaust Schindler’s List.)
When Steven spoke at Oakland High
A custodian swept up the shattered glass,
replaced the broken clocks to satisfy
the Governor, who was preoccupied
with becoming President, with covering his ass
When Steven Spielberg spoke at Oakland High
the District found diminishing supplies
of disinfectant and toilet paper stashed
away, so they replaced the clocks instead to satisfy
the cameras and the press that they had rectified
the deficiencies among the underclass.
When Steven Spielberg spoke at Oakland High
the students didn’t seem dissatisfied
about the cover up, just happy to be out of class.
The custodian replaced the broken clocks to satisfy
this need we have to falsify
the truth in subservience to cash.
When Steven Spielberg came to Oakland High
the custodian replaced the broken clocks.
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