Poetry : “The Death-Bed” by Sigfried Sassoon

by Sidney Carton

 

He drowsed and was aware of silence heaped
Round him, unshaken as the steadfast walls;
Aqueous like floating rays of amber light,
Soaring and quivering in the wings of sleep.
Silence and safety; and his mortal shore
Lipped by the inward, moonless waves of death.

Someone was holding water to his mouth.
He swallowed, unresisting; moaned and dropped
Through crimson gloom to darkness; and forgot
The opiate throb and ache that was his wound.
Water-calm, sliding green above the weir.
Water-a sky-lit alley for his boat,
Bird- voiced, and bordered with reflected flowers
And shaken hues of summer; drifting down,
He dipped contented oars, and sighed, and slept.

Night, with a gust of wind, was in the ward,
Blowing the curtain to a glimmering curve.
Night. He was blind; he could not see the stars
Glinting among the wraiths of wandering cloud;
Queer blots of colour, purple, scarlet, green,
Flickered and faded in his drowning eyes.

Rain-he could hear it rustling through the dark;
Fragrance and passionless music woven as one;
Warm rain on drooping roses; pattering showers
That soak the woods; not the harsh rain that sweeps
Behind the thunder, but a trickling peace,
Gently and slowly washing life away.

He stirred, shifting his body; then the pain
Leapt like a prowling beast, and gripped and tore
His groping dreams with grinding claws and fangs.
But someone was beside him; soon he lay
Shuddering because that evil thing had passed.
And death, who’d stepped toward him, paused and stared.

Light many lamps and gather round his bed.
Lend him your eyes, warm blood, and will to live.
Speak to him; rouse him; you may save him yet.
He’s young; he hated War; how should he die
When cruel old campaigners win safe through?

But death replied: ‘I choose him.’ So he went,
And there was silence in the summer night;
Silence and safety; and the veils of sleep.
Then, far away, the thudding of the guns.

Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) Lays Down the Law on the House Floor

by Sidney Carton

It is a rare moment when a member of Congress drops the farce and facade and actually lets us know how he thinks and feels.  Usually such a moment is a sad and sorry embarassment, as we realize that our elected officials are actually far more foolish than we gave them credit. However, in the case of Mr. Weiner, we are instead treated to an example of righteous indignation so impressive that one is tempted to stand up at the end and shout amen!  In order to place this in context, this is in response to the objections raised by Congressman Peter King (R-NY) and others to the procedure being used to vote on a bill that would extend health care benefits to the first responders who have suffered from poisoning in the 9/11 cleanup.  The House Majority had decided to vote on this measure without allowing amendments, raising objections from Republicans, who did not want to vote on the measure either way, but now sought cover in procedural complaints.  Mr. Weiner will have none of it, and what follows is a masterpiece of righteous indignation:  See it here

Our New Look

by Sidney Carton

Well, if you just stopped by after being gone for a while, you may wonder “What happened to The Loadstone Rock that I knew and tolerated?”  The answer, is nothing at all.  But after many months of the last theme, the editorial board decided on a different, easier to read theme.  (Fortunately, unlike the Los Angeles Times, I don’t have Sam Zell as my boss, had that been the case,  this blog would likely now have the green theme with the girl on the screen.)

Anyhoo, we’ve changed our look, but we promise to be just as biased, vitriolic and ridiculous as ever, and hope to continue to serve you as such.  Let us know if you like our new look, or if you hate it (just as good.)

The Loadstone Rock: One Year Later

by Sidney Carton

Well, today is the first anniversary of The Loadstone Rock. I started blogging a year ago as a way of ranting less around the house, and annoying Mrs. Carton with information that she neither cares nor wants to hear about. It has been an interesting ride. In the past 12 months, there have been 130 posts, discussing everything from rats shutting down the Albanian electrical Grid, to the Gospel according to Cthulthu, to Gay marriage. Humorously, the most popular post remains a fictional piece I did on a possible Palin presidency, and an apocalyptic nuclear war stemming therefrom. (In clarification, while I think Governor Palin would be a disaster as President, I would not stand by my prediction of her starting a nuclear war in March 2012).

2009 looks to be an interesting, and worrisome year. We will see the advent of the Obama Administration with all of its promise and challenges. We will likely witness the ongoing search for a new identity for the Republican Party in the post-Bush era, the outcome of which will likely seriously affect American politics for years to come. And then there is the economy, which may yet prove our collective doom. Well either way, Loadstone will try to cover it with its usual mixture of bias, vitriol and occaisional insight.

Wishing you luck in the coming year,

Sidney Carton

Editor, Correspondent, Chief Cook and Bottle-Washer