an april fool...

This year no one yelled for me to come look at some deer in the back yard. No one called to tell me my dog had eaten a bag of chocolate, or that they'd run out of gas on the highway, and I'd have to come get them during rush hour. The fool is the jester, the one everyone likes to make fun of, to laugh at. April Fool's Day is a way of celebrating this merriment.

I'm not especially keen on the whole thing--I'm usually made to feel the fool. This year, happily, the day has passed without me getting totally wrapped around the axle about some odd thing, only to have some jokester yell, April Fool! and laugh at my distress.

The fool is not all bad. It's a caricature that has been around forever. Two things I like about the fool. In tarot, the fool is a dreamer. When you pull the fool card, it's like getting a do-over. In Shakespeare, the fool is a misnomer; the fool outwits and entertains.

And so, in the spirit of the dreamer, here are some lines from one of my favorite fools, Puck.


















If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.
(A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act v. Scene i.)

guest blogging

I think guest blogging is a fantastic idea! Thanks to The Quotable Lit crew for featuring me as a guest blogger in February. They published Chaos, Art & Revolution. It looks much better on their site than on mine.

If you're in feeling foolish, come to The Venue this Friday, April 1st in Norfolk on 35th street. It's open mike night, so bring something to read.