A Rock. A Tree. A Cloud.
Carson McCullers
Story
We will read McCullers’ astonishing story, A Rock. A Tree. A Cloud.
Themes
- What we might call weirdness in some people…wrongly!!
- How to spot Someone Who has Figured it All Out
- How to Live: What to Want and What to Do
- “Bad Places” and “Bad People” and “Bad Habits” …etc.
Notes and References
Songs for the Story !!
And sadly, Renowned country singer Toby Keith dies at 62 after battle with stomach cancer.
“I Love This Bar” Toby Keith
We got winners, we got losers
Chain smokers and boozers
And we got yuppies, we got bikers
We got thirsty hitchhikers
And the girls next door dress up like movie stars
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
We got cowboys, we got truckers
Broken-hearted fools and suckers
And we got hustlers, we got fighters
Early birds and all-nighters
And the veterans talk about their battle scars
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
I love this bar
It’s my kind of place
Just walkin’ through the front door
Puts a big smile on my face
It ain’t too far, come as you are
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
I’ve seen short skirts, we got high-techs
Blue-collar boys and rednecks
And we got lovers, lots of lookers
And I’ve even seen dancing girls and hookers
And we like to drink our beer from a Mason jar
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
Yes I do
I like my truck (I like my truck)
I like my girlfriend (I like my girlfriend)
I like to take her out to dinner
I like a movie now and then
But I love this bar
It’s my kind of place
Just trollin’ around the dance floor
Puts a big smile on my face
No cover charge, come as you are
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
Hmm, hmm, hmm I just love this old bar
And we’ve got divorcees, a big bouncer man
An old jukebox and a real bad band
We got waitresses, and we got barflies
A dumbass and a wise guy
If you get too drunk, just sleep out in your car
Reason number six, seven and two why
Hmm, hmm, hmm I just love this bar
Play it on out boys
Beer thirty’s over, gotta take it on home
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
I just love it
And so, maybe this one…
“The Wizard” Uriah Heep
He was the wizard of a thousand kings
And I chanced to meet him one night wandering
He told me tales and he drank my wine
Me and my magic man kind of feeling fine
He had a cloak of gold
And eyes of fire
And as he spoke I felt a deep desire
To free the world of its fear and pain
And help the people to feel free again
Why don’t we listen to the voices in our hearts
’Cause then I know we’d find we’re not so far apart
Everybody’s got to be happy
Everyone should sing
For we know the joy of life
The peace that love can bring
So spoke the wizard in his mountain home
The vision of his wisdom means we’ll never be alone
And I will dream of my magic night
And the million silver stars that guide me with their light
Additional Readings
- The Newyorker Magazine (2024). The Arrested Development of Carson McCullers. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/04/carson-mccullers-a-life-mary-v-dearborn-book-review. “A writer lives differently from people who don’t write.” Of course.
- It’s a Bug’s Life. “Pretend it’s a Seed, OK?” https://youtu.be/wKbUVxjh0mg
Writing Prompts
- “So long as you learn, it doesn’t matter who you learn from, does it?” ( Quote from “To Sir, With Love”)
- On being scolded for being in Bad Company
- Life Lessons from Graffiti?
- On seeing Artists and Designers everywhere…(bah!)
- A Strange Transformational Hobby…
- On being a Gig Worker