Hobble Creek Review
| Collin Kelley |
Jean Arthur at the Lincoln Memorial
She comes out of the temple's shadows, in profile against a fluted Doric
column, hat tipped Bogart-style over one eye. She perches on the edge of
Jimmy Stewart's suitcase, following a hunch he'd be there when he wasn't
anyplace else. Husky voiced, half-faced angel, an engraved coin. No screwball
comedy here, just a savior throwing a shadow bigger than Mr. Smith's.
Without her, he would be fed to the machine, common rightness thrown out
the window with all that "of the people by the people for the people" jazz
inscribed at Honest Abe's feet. All the good that ever came into this world
came from fools with faith. So, she plays the biggest fool of all, a puppet
master who takes no credit for her creation. Seventy years later she still
moves through the interior, makes no sound, looks east over the reflecting
pool, history at her back, the Union, once again, in peril.
She comes out of the temple's shadows, in profile against a fluted Doric
column, hat tipped Bogart-style over one eye. She perches on the edge of
Jimmy Stewart's suitcase, following a hunch he'd be there when he wasn't
anyplace else. Husky voiced, half-faced angel, an engraved coin. No screwball
comedy here, just a savior throwing a shadow bigger than Mr. Smith's.
Without her, he would be fed to the machine, common rightness thrown out
the window with all that "of the people by the people for the people" jazz
inscribed at Honest Abe's feet. All the good that ever came into this world
came from fools with faith. So, she plays the biggest fool of all, a puppet
master who takes no credit for her creation. Seventy years later she still
moves through the interior, makes no sound, looks east over the reflecting
pool, history at her back, the Union, once again, in peril.
Collin Kelley is a novelist, poet and playwright from Atlanta, Georgia. His
debut novel, Conquering Venus, is forthcoming from Vanilla Heart Publishing
in Summer 2009. His poetry collections include After the Poison, Slow To Burn
and Better To Travel, which was nominated for the 2003 Georgia Author of the
Year Award, Kate Tufts Discovery Award and Lambda Literary Award.
debut novel, Conquering Venus, is forthcoming from Vanilla Heart Publishing
in Summer 2009. His poetry collections include After the Poison, Slow To Burn
and Better To Travel, which was nominated for the 2003 Georgia Author of the
Year Award, Kate Tufts Discovery Award and Lambda Literary Award.
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