tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850977918787367334.post4458040932900346236..comments2024-02-23T09:18:10.084-08:00Comments on Icono-Curmudgeon-Clast - Loring Wirbel's Rants: Fragments of a Happy DeclineLoring Wirbelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764834150305763077noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850977918787367334.post-85628800949750915352010-10-22T09:45:30.863-07:002010-10-22T09:45:30.863-07:00Sneak Preview: If I manage to pull this off, this ...Sneak Preview: If I manage to pull this off, this is Poem 1 of the Happy Decline series, others perhaps including Totila, Charlemagne, Ibn Khaldun.... like the Parables of Famous Economists. I'm being cryptic about it, because I'm not sure I'll really get this done.Loring Wirbelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11764834150305763077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850977918787367334.post-65718946581637915412010-10-22T07:37:52.711-07:002010-10-22T07:37:52.711-07:00The key is in Vortigern's history, post-Roman ...The key is in Vortigern's history, post-Roman empire. Narrator might be Vortigern, might be me. Historians like Venerable Bede and Geoffrey of Monmouth heaped scorn on Vortigern for inviting in the Saxons, since they took less than a year to take over the country and chase the Britons west, faster than the Romans ever did. Vortigern claimed he had no choice, the Picts were coming over Hadrian's Wall and the Britons had no defenses.<br /><br />It's autumn, it's a time of imperial collapse, some make their peace with heathens (political campaigners pretending to be dumber than they are to win votes, etc.), some retreat into the shadows. Vortigern left the door open for violence, violence made its winter voice felt very quickly. We were having a chat on the Facebook posting about the jackal image, I told the story about the woman who took the nonviolent-communications class with me who insisted that even satire was a form of violence. I told her very bluntly that I choose for tactical reasons to take out my jackal voice every now and then. Then I got to thinking about poor Vortigern, took out his jackal voice as the winter approached, maybe he thought it was a temporary necessity too.Loring Wirbelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11764834150305763077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850977918787367334.post-90033384346061798082010-10-22T04:09:15.266-07:002010-10-22T04:09:15.266-07:00I don't think I understand your poem, but the ...I don't think I understand your poem, but the lines are melodic, even while they feel like impending doom.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.com