It has become commonplace to describe all sorts of phenomena in positive terms. Take the word community. It is often applied to any group of people with something vaguely in common, however thin or ill-defined that thing might be. To call such a group a community immediately suggests coherence, shared recognition, and solidarity. Curiously, the …
Month: September 2025
I found my way to this poem via Malcolm Lowry who used a line from it for the title of his book: Dark as the grave wherein my friend is laid. The verse that contains that line includes this most remarkably dark image: Henceforth, ye gentle trees, for ever fade; Or your sad branches thicker …

