In Dubious Battle

Review of:     In Dubious Battle  by John Steinbeck   

Steinbeck's intricately drawn descriptions of a labor

camp being whipped into a frenzy by organizers, Mac

and Jim, make it seem as though Steinbeck was an 

insider and knew exactly what went down.

The power and grit of this story depicting workers'

struggle to get a fair deal from owners/bosses is 

huge and universal as any fight for survival and to 

better one's lot.

Steinbeck's characters are so vivid and colorful,

it feels like the reader could cast the movie!

In Dubious Battle is like a prelude to The Grapes of

Wrath and yet it stands squarely on its own merit.

What a giant, caring heart John Steinbeck had. 

Even though this book was written in the 30s, it

resonates today; Cooperation and team work trump

competition every time.

The volume I borrowed from the Library truly is an

antique. It was published in 1936 by Random House

and sold for $1.95. Wow! An oldie, but goodie.

Remember to take advantage of and support local

libraries. Over and out,

Raintreepoet.

The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck

was published in 1942 in the heat of WW ll,

as European countries under occupation were tossed

 a rescue rope in the form of a

fable written by one of America’s greatest writers.

The Moon Is Down is a masterpiece against

war and oppression and for passive resistance.

We need more literature about peace and this novel

 especially highlights a blueprint for how to

 overcome bullies of any stripe.

Even as an English major I had not known

about this book and that is a crying shame.

The Moon Is Down should be in English and

History curriculums in high school and college

 because Steinbeck’s little novel (only 112 pages)

 became a worldwide phenomenon during the war.

The novel was attacked on its literary merit

and labeled propaganda, but that is moot

 considering the impact it had in European occupied countries.

The Moon Is Down gave them hope and the incentive to resist 

the Nazi evil despite the fact that Steinbeck never identified

 the little village it was set in or who the invaders were

 which made it magically universal.
One thought stood out as theme: "..  the herd men win battles and
the free men who win wars." That, in my humble opinion is why we
Americans have been able to smack down fascism over the last
several wars.

My respect for John Steinbeck and his work continues to grow. 

A writer who was once accused of being a communist and had

 his books burned endured and proved the power of art to heal.

  I highly recommend this little gem.

 I checked mine out from my local library.

Raintreepoet, reporting.

I Met the Devil Once

He had Nordic ice blue eyes

A silver tongue and fine

Bulging biceps and buttocks

And Lordie he could kiss

Of course I did not know

Who he was because he

gave me another name

His tone was so sultry &

sweet-he won my trust

immediately

What a beautiful creature

I thought, as I looked into

his magnetic ice blue eyes

Surely he must be an angel

He seemed to read my mind

as he caressed my ears

with dulcet tones:

I am a Christian, a Muslim,

A Mormon, a Jew

I am anybody you want me

to be- perhaps I am

your own true love

After awhile though

He began to shed scales

Of green and brown and

I asked; Who are you?

He replied, You let me in

Do you regret it?

His Nordic ice blue eyes

turned basalt grey, he said:

We had great sex,

I wouldn’t mind some again

only on my terms, though

When I cried, he cut me deep

with his glare, You’re no

Gloria Steinem are you?

You’re just a soft sniveling bitch
go away, I am done with you!

Devastated, I retreated

Glad to still have my soul

I met the Devil once

He was god-like on the outside,
 but inside he was a small, dark

hard turd… 

You, Me, the Kentucky Derby & the Yuma County Jail

 Every year at this time I cannot get this out of my mind...

It seems like a life time ago that you and I  took a

Handicapping course at

Central Washington University with

field trips to Yakima Meadows, we

learned how to read a racing form,

whether or not to bet on bloodlines,

the jockey or the trainer

Okay, I admit, now, that sometimes I broke rank

and bet purely on a clever name, English majors

are so irresistibly drawn to words…

Here I am listening to the “Run for the Roses”

lead in commentary with rambling

thoughts of how

it once was-the good times-for us

I look at my TV and see a muddy track

You and I know that some horses

actually run better on

a muddy track…I guess

I wasn’t one of them!

Those were crazy fun times

We drug our toddler along and I bet

at the window, with her on my hip

while you slurped suds with your buds

and inhaled those horse smells

all cowboys seem to savor…

The race will be a quick two minutes

But the show is three hours long

on a lazy Saturday afternoon

Suddenly, I am wondering if

you’re hanging out with other inmates

in the Yuma County Jail

enjoying the very same program

I imagine that you’re sharing

your knowledge of horses

and laughing about the  handicapping class

 we took together so many years ago

For a moment you may even mist up-

You never believed for an instant that

I would eventually leave,

you were shocked when

I finally did

You must’ve felt so betrayed

You thought you knew me

You predicted me as a Favorite

You didn’t really know me at all

You were my Long Shot-

when the race was run

and I lost my entire bank

the deal was done

You serving time for outstanding warrants-DUIs

finally my bet is right: I made a decision

to bail, nearly 30 years ago

Here I am-and

there you are, watching

The Kentucky Derby, televised

in different states

I called it, oh so long ago

Sadly, sometimes there is no

gratification in being on the money!

Ironically, Super Saver won,

Devil May Care did not even

Place or show!

God Bless Donald Trump!

V


Okay, this is pure opinion, however, I feel that it is well read and considered opinion based on many elections to the point that as a mature voter, I clearly see patterns emerging.

Never in a million years would I vote for Donald Trump whose rhetoric proves that he is racist, sexist, entitled and an unconscious bully; however his candidacy reveals the dark side of capitalism and politics in America today.

Donald's supporters are purportedly citizens fed up with the system as it is: corrupt and unfair.
I, too, am fed up with the the corruption and unfairness in our government, but in my wildest dreams I would never consider a billionaire the solution to that particular problem!

Is this the age of unreason or what? What do these minions believe the Donald can do for them?
From my perspective, Trump is a thinking  person's worst nightmare. The power and control of the presidency in his hands could easily start World War Three.
Can you imagine his brand of diplomacy with North Korea? Do we really want a president that Mr. Putin endorses? Think of the (trade) opportunities (for himself) with China while in office!
Do the masses really think Donald Trump gives a hoot about them?


The present primary scenario reminds me of a masqued ball where the devil shows up dressed as an angel and those gullible amongst us cheer with relief, kind of like the Germans who felt rescued by Hitler before he revealed who he really was!

Thank you, Mr. Trump, for making our political process the butt of the the world's joke, but please American citizens wake up! This guy is not your savior and he certainly is not your friend!

Life in the Sub. Lane

Why don’t you teach full time?

Been there, done that, I reply

High School! How do you like that?

Implying I shouldn’t because the

questioner wouldn’t

I love teenagers, they are my people

I am just an older teen-ager, after all

The questioner laughs uncomfortably

Seeing me in a different light

Perhaps a really different light!

How long have you done it?

Going on 16 years, I reply

The questioner’s expression is

one of amazement, but I am not

sure it is positive

Why do you keep at it?

Sometimes I ask myself that

I haven’t had a pay raise in eight years,

no benefits; occasionally I get a wild bunch

that leaves me harried, but for the most part

The FREEDOM keeps me at it- If I want

a day off, I take it

That day off is unpaid and guilt-free

The hours are great: 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

I have weekends free and all the major

Vacations, Christmas, Spring Break and best

of all, summers free to work on my writing!

None of it paid, mind you, but FREEDOM is more

valuable than money to me

     

What do you like most about it?

The teen-agers and the variety- I am

a migrant worker with fresh minds to

pick each day

How long will you do it?

Until I am 70 and draw Social Security

or before, if one of my novels makes me

a professional writer!

Right now, subbing is a great day job!

My questioner shrugs, I suppose his

curiosity is satisfied or he is  stupefied

He changes the subject and we continue

an amiable conversation

RK April 2016

Daily Business Letter RE: Parking Ticket

18 April 2016

TO: Skamania County District Court

        P.O. Box 790

        Stevenson, WA 98648-0790

FROM:  Rainy Knight

               P.O. Box 6243

               Vancouver, WA 98668

Your Honor:

It was an incredible day for hiking yesterday. My friend Cindi and I arrived and were on the trail by 11 a.m.

We parked at the Equestrian Trailhead. No sign reminded us to put my Discovery Pass up and

so was overlooked.

When we returned at 3 p.m., we were dismayed to see a green ticket clipped under my windshield wiper. Adding insult to injury, my new/current pass was in my glove box.  (I buy a

Discovery Pass every season to support our parks, despite not having much time to utilize it.)

We drove down to Beacon Rock Headquarters, arriving at 3:30 p.m., but it was closed. I would

have taken care of it in person had the Ranger been available.

I assure you that I was almost compliant-simply did not get my pass put up.

I am enclosing a check for $59.00 and a copy of my Discovery Pass. I hope that suffices as proof

of purchase.

It is an expensive lesson that I definitely have learned.

Thank you

Kindly,

Rainy Knight