Sunday, April 14, 2013

Here, This Other Thing for Roger


In case this doesn't show up on the "I remember" blogs Roger's Far-Flung Correspondents have been writing, I'll leave it up here for awhile. This is addressed to them, among whom I felt more -fetched than -flung. Kind of like Roy among the Mouseketeers. To illustrate: http://bit.ly/10fP411 ; http://bit.ly/18I8ujI

Well kids, all of what you've written is the Roger I knew in-the-flesh for about five (five!) years, including Kevin Lee's implying a naturally priestly outlook, a high priest at the temple of The Movies.

Like a couple of amateurs on a park bench in the Endless City of Writing (never try to shed your amateur status), our e-mails gossiped about you more than you may have guessed; the outcome of that is somewhat apparent in certain of the e-mails you've produced. The truest outcomes are of course up to you.

I was angry at ol' Rodge twice. Part of our kinship rested in a knowing that, no matter how one may get to roaring, there's always a friendly whimsy to go home to at day's end. One anger was the sloppiness in not squashing a couple of human roaches constantly drooling Muslim-bashing on the commentaries. That section had begun to get very readable for awhile. Then these one or two poop-spreaders began making some threads look like an inner city junior hi-school boys' room smeared with militant puerility.

The other was the morning after I wrote Roger an attaboy for his final essay. I'd believed him. Michael Mirasol passed around a sad note and I replied with a tut-tut. It was what I'd been advising Roger privately for a couple three years by now. He was gonna back off on the workaholing and skate into his eighties, writing all anew, the time to try his hand at being his own Sebald (whom he admired and accused me of being), whatever, however, whoever.

So I wrote him an attaboy. I lay down to sleep; as my head hit the pillow, there was Gene Siskel with that wry smile of his, looking at someone standing behind me to my left, saying "Welcome home, Roger." Ooooh, shit, I thought. As you know, his beloved partner has been dead for years.

A few hours later Roger was dead. That rascal! Whattaya gonna do, though?

Roger's last seven years were like a star novating. The face made kinda cute by horrendous medical mistakes has now been shuffled off, but the corona of inner energy he propelled into our space and time is quite present, very busy, and worth very many attentions. Some will ride it for the rest of their lives.




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11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog!

9:08 PM  
Blogger Tom Dark said...

Well, thanks.

7:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thank you!

3:10 PM  
Blogger Tom Dark said...

Aaaaaand thenk YEW. Where are you two people coming from and why are you anonymous?

4:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You definitely know how to keep a reader amused. With your wit, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well,almost...HaHa!) Great job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!

6:35 PM  
Blogger Tom Dark said...

Well dog gone it aren't you nice! But... are you, like, wanted by the FBI or something? 'cuz you're still anonymous.

6:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's going to be finish of mine day, but before finish I am reading this fantastic piece of writing to increase my knowledge.

8:04 AM  
Blogger Tom Dark said...

Well, that's true. It is a fantastic piece of writing. Thank you.

8:05 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom you deleted your lengthy email recollection with Roger over your dreams! They were eye opening. Why did you delete them?

Also great article.

12:25 PM  
Blogger Tom Dark said...

'cuz it was maybe a little too close to personal. Still feels that way. Maybe after some time has passed I'll write it all up. Like Roger said, he felt it was like an invasion of his privacy.

Considering the current general mores, it is. If what I've taught myself to do ever does catch on, however, it'll be impossible for people to pretend this privacy is really private.

It would mean quite a challenge for personal honesty. Not so many people are as ready for that as they'd like to think.

12:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm extremely happy to discover this post about Roger. Thanks a ton for creating this great post!! I certainly loved every a portion of it will save your site saved to my personal favs.

10:02 AM  

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