An Anatomy of the World

Poor America! Not much left of it these days. A phony war, increased poverty, serious inflation, runaway drug use, massacres, suicides, a sick and dishonest Supreme Court, and a bitter, clueless population. One party hankering for violence, and the end of democracy; the other thinking that diversity appointments and 'correct' language constitute an adequate response. Of course, I predicted the end of the US 22 years ago (in the Twilight book), but I never imagined it would look like this--so bleak, so stupid, and so sad. I think of T.S. Eliot's "vast, impersonal forces," History rolling over us like an Abrams tank, with literally nothing that can be done to stop it. Trumpi in the White House will be the final act of this tragedy, but Schmiden in the White House hasn't been able to do much better. And on the microlevel, a deep unkindness Americans have for one another, also unimaginable 22 years ago. Although John Donne had it right in 1611 (An Anatomy of the World): “Tis all in pieces, all coherence gone, All just supply, and all relation; Prince, subject, father, son, are things forgot, For every man alone thinks he hath got To be a phoenix, and that then can be None of that kind, of which he is, but he.”