Author: randallsweeks@gmailcom
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When Our Heroes Die
The late afternoon chill on Black Friday was palpable and served to make the waning of a crisp fall day in Oxford, MS as Rockwellian as one could imagine. The Courthouse Square played host to family and friends absorbed in their post-Thanksgiving shopping. Fathers held their young daughter’s hands as they strolled the sidewalks. Mothers […]
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The Practice of Gratitude
In the beauty of the day, practice gratitude. In the stillness of the night, practice gratitude. In the ecstasy of love, practice gratitude. In the throes of loneliness, practice gratitude. In the crisp autumn wind, practice gratitude. In the sting of winter’s cold, practice gratitude. In the birth of a child, practice gratitude. In the […]
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Ole Miss: The New Miss?
On October 22 Jackson, Mississippi’s Clarion-Ledger ran a story about how the University of Mississippi is fighting efforts for a trademark to be granted for the brand name “New Miss” (re: New Miss? University of Mississippi opposes trademark for James Meredith-linked brand). The argument is that the New Miss logo is too similar to the […]
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GOD IS…
Most Sunday mornings you’ll find me in front of my TV watching CBS Sunday Morning, followed by segments of Meet the Press and/or Face the Nation, then Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Sunday. Sometimes I’ll fill in the gaps with whatever’s on CNN, but not often. I watch CBS Sunday Morning because I remember Charles Kuralt and they usually tell stories in greater […]
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Twenty Years of 9/11
In May of 2001 my son, Jonas, graduated high school. He decided against going to college, opting to join the Marine Corps. I wasn’t all that crazy about it, but I also knew the structure and discipline of the Corps would probably be good for him. And, we were in peacetime. So, Jonas went off […]
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Words Strung Together with Rhymes
Some questions need not be asked. Keep wondering. The mystery may be more than the knowing. Some tales need not be told. Stick to silence. The unspoken may be more powerful left unsaid. Some thoughts need not be dwelt upon. Release them. Your chains might be broken, your burden lightened. Some journeys need not be […]
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ZOMBIE CICADAS
This year’s crop of cicadas is unlike any before. So-called “Zombie” cicadas (almost exclusively males) are infected with a fungus that causes their fannies to fall off, taking their genitalia with them. I think Mother Nature is having a heyday with this one. She’s taking off male sex parts, giving them a huge dose of […]
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IDIOM WIND
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, nor do I live in an ivory tower, so I’d say they’re barking up the wrong tree. I often wait in the wings then pull out all the stops. Seldom have I bitten off […]
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Collective Chaos
There’s a lot to be said about the good things that have happened as a result of the Coronavirus. Parents have spent more time with their children and their spouses, resulting in closer family ties. Friends have gained a deeper appreciation for friends they’ve not seen in a year. Because of the tragic deaths of […]
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A House Divided Against Itself
I was sitting on The Balcony of the bar above City Grocery in Oxford, MS, drinking a greyhound, smoking a pipe, and minding my own business, as is my custom, when the door next to my chair opened and out stumbled a geezer who looked like he’d been rode hard and put up wet. The […]
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Notes in My Phone:Part One
I have 371 notes in my cellphone. While there are a few old grocery lists and reminders about people’s names scattered among them, most of my notes are things I’ve pondered or things someone said that caught my ear. Here are some of my favorites from 2017 through 2019. If she thinks my tractor’s sexy, […]
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Meet Me in the Ether
Meet me in the etherwhere the fog lies heavy like a blanketclutched by the fingers of the earth,where spirit moves on the face of the deep,beckoning to languid lovers,passions ebbing and flowingin rhythm with the cosmos. Meet me in the etherwhere all time is now, all places, here.Stand with me, face to face,hand to hand, […]
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Shhh!
We walk,but we do not talk—at least not with words.I prefer the silence.I can hear you better that way. (Originally published in “The Local Voice”, Oxford, MS)
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The Teacher Named “Darkness”
(Inspired by the work of National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda S. C. Gordon at President Biden’s inauguration.) Only a year ago we stepped into the abyss ― a tunnel, barren of light ― this generation’s congregational dark night of the soul. Some of us crept at first, blindly bracing ourselves against the cold walls of […]
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Crutching
I saw you walking – the two of you – arm in arm, hand in hand, leaning against each other in the rain, no umbrellas or raincoats, just two jersey hoodies, certain to protect your heads until they themselves are saturated, which won’t take long – not in this downpour. I know why you walked […]
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Things That You Should Know
Before we go much further there are things that you should know. I’m too scared and nervous to let my feelings show. I may look self-assured, but, you know, that’s just a show, so I had to tell you baby, these things that you should know. This poker face I’m wearing hides all my yearnings, […]
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THE SOUL OF AMERICA
“In our finest hours, though, the soul of the country manifests itself in an inclination to open our arms rather than to clench our fists.” Jon Meacham,The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels President-Elect Joe Biden characterized the race for the presidency as being much more than vying for the highest office […]
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Georgia on My Mind
The race for the Presidency may be all over but the whining, but the race for the ability to effectively govern still hangs in the balance. Since 2014, Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) has had a choke hold on legislation once it reached the Senate. Since 2016 he has played the role of the […]
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Scared Yet? Just Wait
We don’t need Halloween as a fear factor this year. There’s plenty of scary stuff out there already, and what makes it the scariest of all is the fact that the dangers are real. We’ve been wearing the most frightening masks possible for nearly eight months now – masks to help protect us and others […]
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Interview with a Fly
The most exiting two minutes of the Pence-Harris Vice Presidential Debate on October 7 was due to the sustained presence of a fly on the head of the Vice President – a fly that stood its ground and would not be moved. It appeared that the fly was noticed by everyone EXCEPT the Vice President. […]
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