Posted 10:30 AM by Gerald So
The original twelve-year run of my weekly poetry site, THE FIVE-TWO, ended because submissions dried up, perhaps because I left Twitter soon after Elon Musk bought it. The amount of wrongdoing since Donald Trump retook the U.S. presidency has me beyond consolation and thinking of rebooting the site.
I want your honest, powerful reactions to what you see as crime, couched in poetic technique and figurative language to avoid receiving a content warning or being taken down by Google.
Submission deadline Monday, March 24, 2025. Read the full guidelines and join me on Bluesky, Mastodon, and/or YouTube to show your support. If I accept enough poens, The Five-Two will relaunch Monday, April 7, 2025 as part of National Poetry Month.
Very Much So
St. Mary's, Hofstra, Queens College...That Gerald So
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Thursday, February 13, 2025
THE RETURN directed by Uberto Pasolini
Posted 7:30 PM by Gerald So
THE RETURN is based on the final chapters of Homer's epic poem THE ODYSSEY and stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche as Odysseus and Penelope. Several epics were required reading in college (THE ILIAD, THE AENEID, Dante's INFERNO...) THE ODYSSEY was my favorite because Odysseus was not a demigod but a man, one even more renowned for his cunning than his fighting prowess. I learned of the movie premiering December 6, 2024. It came to DVD and Blu-ray January 18, 2025. I pre-ordered and watched it two weeks ago.
THE RETURN focuses on the end of the poem. Odysseus has made it back to his kingdom Ithaca ten years later than expected. Many believe him dead. Suitors are fighting in the palace for Penelope to remarry.
THE RETURN de-emphasizes the mythic aspects. No gods appear to aid Odysseus. He hesitates to reveal himself and reclaim Ithaca because he's incredibly weary from the voyage and unsure he is the man he was. Most of the people don't recognize him and treat him like a beggar, but we the audience know he is king. Already admiring the story, I was able to recognize plot points while completely transported by the Greek filming locations.
THE RETURN just might interest you in THE ODYSSEY, my highest praise for adaptations.
THE RETURN is based on the final chapters of Homer's epic poem THE ODYSSEY and stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche as Odysseus and Penelope. Several epics were required reading in college (THE ILIAD, THE AENEID, Dante's INFERNO...) THE ODYSSEY was my favorite because Odysseus was not a demigod but a man, one even more renowned for his cunning than his fighting prowess. I learned of the movie premiering December 6, 2024. It came to DVD and Blu-ray January 18, 2025. I pre-ordered and watched it two weeks ago.
THE RETURN focuses on the end of the poem. Odysseus has made it back to his kingdom Ithaca ten years later than expected. Many believe him dead. Suitors are fighting in the palace for Penelope to remarry.
THE RETURN de-emphasizes the mythic aspects. No gods appear to aid Odysseus. He hesitates to reveal himself and reclaim Ithaca because he's incredibly weary from the voyage and unsure he is the man he was. Most of the people don't recognize him and treat him like a beggar, but we the audience know he is king. Already admiring the story, I was able to recognize plot points while completely transported by the Greek filming locations.
THE RETURN just might interest you in THE ODYSSEY, my highest praise for adaptations.
The End of the World
Posted 5:30 AM by Gerald So
To calm fears, we like to say, "It's not the end of the world."
Another way of thinking is we are at one end of the world, the front end facing the future, the only end we can act on. The future hasn't happened, so it doesn't count. This is the end.
It can be positive if you do everything in your power while you can. Don't assume you have tomorrow. Most likely you do, but you get my point.
To calm fears, we like to say, "It's not the end of the world."
Another way of thinking is we are at one end of the world, the front end facing the future, the only end we can act on. The future hasn't happened, so it doesn't count. This is the end.
It can be positive if you do everything in your power while you can. Don't assume you have tomorrow. Most likely you do, but you get my point.
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