I * I The pho|os haunt^ you from a gentler era,n4 I ‘ JThe Eisenhower years^ you thought were boring.nk J E!_hotos alcorny unclp finight havelshownn iW&iile, as you’d put it, he did insurance whoringnIn a small town- tavern, over beersf )nYou see a Southern*” football afternoon, InA mother sits beside, the faniily Ford.n’ . f^o%^ V ////nb Hugging herf daughter in a velour blouse,n» A’ lacej^cgllirj a^tfllDleatediki/t.n.The girl’s fecePdhplicates the’inother’s: ‘kindn.Pompassignate, unfortunately; alert.nBehiifd thelFord is a smalLsuburban house^n/^h’atTi|ppe”n^there’-is’what you’d call “benigii.nffSh%*sipsfih’er-milfe?:Shet’spoons homemade dessertsnart ^JfvV^fnjSH^ o”^if^ , u ‘n’^’oftRhesmotfier/sitslher fists beneath her chinn’i^^T^VX7.AlM^niv.ni —Like giving up’a 1 lucrative luciduvc ,. careeri/-ncaiccK^^- “^– ,. ^n*To^helpthe poo4 as you en’ce tried,4ofdwy^ tnediftpfdwy^ _ «nShe would have been a mother sooririexceptj,’ ^ \n• I Uur dead protagonist is in Bellevue W-^sSfW o » ‘n’=’ .^.Seconds from strangulatioif, pointless feaV’w^’^ •n• iC-i^When the’homeles’s man, she would havelpitied;4eptnr/- oBehind her, outfo&chaos, cloven-hooved!n^’V I W “^ ..nQjiYou^put Jihe PG!St,yike|horror,%ently.doYr|n^Fatigued by howfifiction is daily fact. n’ You hate your shallowj cynicism, sit nIn your kitchenfwindow seat, reflect InoOn what (brought catastrophe to this townn©rugs,^poverty’, illiteracy^^ “bulls -t “^ *nT*l-i ‘is. .1 ,,-•(;• i^w-. !^XMI ^f A 11 ‘ r ii 1nMberal s’entiineht. All of that seems »abstract’n’iPnnV «ln•lYoui.thmk ofjrituals, thCj^sacrifice n0r*yirgins;i.m^vour own! time, ot the Jews ^nJfnraEisenhfeiwer yearslmad’e people forget:niWashingtthe^dishes, reading the local newsn^rsmarnages and church bazaars, advicenFromfDear- Abbey, ads/for’cigarettes.nYou^rewistful’for mortality, taboos.nY KI, Â¥” ;•,nn•You squint atthe clockvirork scene “below:nyhe homeless sprawled,qas if nn alleyways,n^he middle class airnlessly plunking quarters.n”Pedigrees,” you smile/^t’among/the-strays.”nYou close your eyes as itpegins to snow. • •nYou weep for«the mother; and Her murdered^’daughter. “n(j)u sont les neiges a antan, you start to say. » e=.nnn’^*’?^’Tn^^4iniL^asfChJ t^-a.nx^-nAn^^^ ^^s^’t^mab.^nFEBRUARY 1991/21n