“Sometimes there’s God, so quickly.â€
This morning I went downstairs to see a dark ominous cloud hanging over the Can and I walked quickly to catch up with N and just a few steps away the sky broke open in this wondrous blue with white sharp rays coming from behind fat puffy clouds – N said, “when I went to catechism as a child those were always the pictures of god – as in Tennesse Williams’ god comes quickly” – I laughed at her because just yesterday at lunch she was defending the atheist in her.
Last night sitting on Carrollton several streetcars went by and we all remarked how beautiful the sound was – to have the metal on metal shshshsh back in our world again.
The Tennessee Williams festival was last weekend and for the Stella calling contest a man yelled FEMA with such passion and verve that he won. Now is probably as good a time as any to think about Williams’ as he embodied the New Orleans imagination better than most – think of A Streetcar Named Desire where Blanche so desperately wants to be grounded in love and Mitch who professes love to her causes her to say “sometimes there’s God, so quickly” – as if she has been saved by a man. — Blanche is a little sparrow, she dwells in fantasy because she cannot endure reality. — Her sister’s husband, Stanley, repulses yet attracts her, because he is an emotional infant. Stanley knows Blanche is fragile, so his rape of her is particularly cruel and leads to her ultimate destruction. — But I think what Stella does is far worse. Stella believes her sister’s accusations against Stanley are false — once again, in order for Stella to go on loving Stanley she must deny the truth. — Reminds me of Dorothy Allison’s mother who had to deny her own daughter was being repeatedly raped in order to hold onto her man. — In Williams’ world there are many ways to hurt people and Streetcar shows man at his worst. — To think that the city of San Francisco bought our streetcar named Desire – they should give it back!