 |
| The hat was brand new on New Years Day 2002 when we gathered at the Art Institute cafeteria before heading over to a Lake Front anti-war vigil — with Michael Brennan, Ira S. Murfin, and Arlene Brennan. at Art Institute of Chicago |
From
the And-Now-For-Something-Completely-Different-Department
after yesterday's long, intense political
punditry. Something, as they say to
cleanse the palate.
 |
| The hat walked with me on my last campaign for Nunda Township Trustee in 2009 |
When You Wear a
Hat as Long as This One
When you wear a
hat as long as this one—
you know, the old brown one
with the broad flat brim
and low crown,
the one Kathy bought you for
Christmas
the holiday after 9/11—
you learn to
understand that the Universe
is falling down upon you day after
day
that stardust, ashes, and cat dander
sift unseen and constant
day after day,
year after year,
one decade into the next
drifting into
the creases of the crown,
balling just a tad if you rub your
thumb or fingers across the brim
which has subtly changed color
under the weight
nothing to be
done about it
the heaviest downpour does not
wash it away,
nor can you brush it,
or beat it against your leg,
the stuff clings
to the fine wool fibers
of the soft felt
and where the sweat and
oil from your dirty hair
touch it, it becomes a little hard
and shiny
and the old band
twisted and stained
must be covered by one braided from
bright fabrics somewhere in
Nicaragua
and even that band is faded and
dusted in its folds an knots,
and the universe
continues to fall unconcerned.
—Patrick
Murfin
 |
| It rallies for Marriage Equality on a bitter day in Crystal Lake in 2013. |
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