Dear Friends,
Many people, not just Minnesotans, feel alienated from their country this month, or at least from their government. People in America are divided about different issues, but I sense a bipartisan outrage, or at least discomfort, with the ruthless strategies that have been used to enforce policies or a world view that they don’t share.
I think of Albert Camus who said, “I love my country too much to be a nationalist.”
And poets, who pay attention for a living, who seek to keep faith with language even when language fails, have been especially hard hit by the death of the award-winning writer and mom, Renee Good.
As was the case with George Floyd, the killing of Renee Good has lodged itself in the national consciousness in a way that refuses to loosen its grip. At a suburban Chicago pancake house on Sunday, Kate overheard two middle-age Republican men discuss the circumstances of Good’s death, with both agreeing that the tires, rather than the driver, of Good’s car should have been targeted.
Last night as a featured poet at a Sacramento Thai restaurant poetry reading, I felt the weight of her death. I had brought three long poems to read, and I knew before I stepped up to the mic that I would have to end with the poem you find below, if only because I wouldn’t have been able to read past it. My voice would not have carried.
That said, I am pleased to have the opportunity to “deliver” it to you.
Renee B. Good
Down in Minneapolis, near Thirty-Fourth Street,
Bright morning, cold air, salt under feet,
There sat a poet, her seat belt tight,
Penning notes for poems in the morning light.
She had just dropped her son off at school,
Serving as a witness, she was playing it cool.
Go
Go Renee, go
Trained as an observer, trained to support,
Ready to be a witness in immigration court,
A mother of three, a substitute teacher,
An open mic poet and occasional feature.
Upset that the feds had declared martial law,
The 2,000 ICE shock troops were the final straw.
Go
Go Renee, go
Then the federal jackets turned upon her,
She sought to evade them, the footage a blur,
And then in a moment, as she tried to steer clear,
Three needless gunshots that all could hear.
Jonathan Ross will say it was self-defense,
But shooting into a fleeing car makes no sense.
Go
Go Renee, go
The ICE at the scene tried to downplay
That Renee, shot three times, did not die right away.
In the smartphone footage it could clearly be seen
That a doctor soon arrived at the scene
“Can I check for a pulse?” ICE told him “No,”
“I’m a physician.” “We don’t care. Just go.”
Go
Go Renee, go
No matter who you are, they’ve come for us.
When it comes to killing moms and poets, there’s nothing to discuss.
We have a constitution; we are a nation of laws.
High crimes should lead to the impeachment clause.
The only way that justice will have its day,
Will be if we remember the good of the poet Renee.
Go, go
Go Renee, go, go
Go Renee, go, go
Go Renee, go, go
Go Renee, go, go
Renee B. Good.
“The fog is rising,” Emily Dickinson said. Tonight we will enjoy fog instead of rain, so plan to join me outdoors for the pub quiz at 2001 2nd Street in Davis. The regulars and irregulars will meet for the social event of the week featuring 31 questions on a variety of topics you should know something about, this week with questions on the devil you know. Today’s pub quiz comes in at 931 words, corresponding to the area code of central Tennessee.
In addition to topics raised above and below, expect questions tonight on the following: streams, concrete, starting points, heavenly shoes, common names, workers, Sacramento exports, plural words, Academy Awards, sauces, pregnancies, chairs, role-playing, peaks, hens, Danes, people named Nellie, toasts, wordy books, forces, touchdowns, songs from Madagascar, Lakers, horizons, varieties, data pandas, sad seasons, predicted ages, rides, shifts, mercies, totalitarians, platforms, pop charts, U.S. states, geography, current events, and Shakespeare.
For more Pub Quiz fun, please subscribe via Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/yourquizmaster.
Thanks to all the new players joining us at the live quizzes and to all the patrons who have been enjoying fresh Pub Quiz content. We have over 90 Patreon members now, including the new paid subscribers Christine, Bobby, Esther, James, Damian, Jim, and Meebles! I should write a question for Bobby. Thanks also to new subscribers Prescott, Bill and Diane, Tamara, Megan, Michael, Janet, Jasmine, Joey, Carly, The X-Ennial Falcons, and The Nevergiveruppers! Every week I check the Patreon to see if there is someone new to thank. Maybe next week it will be you! I also thank The Original Vincibles, Summer Brains, Still Here for the Shakesbeer, The Outside Agitators, John Poirier’s team Quizimodo, Gena Harper, the conversationally entertaining dinner companions and bakers of marvelous and healthy treats, The Mavens. Hello to Bill and to Jude’s dad. Thanks in particular to my paid subscribers on Substack. Thanks to everyone who supports the Pub Quiz on Patreon. I would love to add your name or that of your team to the list of pub quiz boosters. Also, I sometimes remember to add an extra hint on Patreon. I appreciate your backing this pub quiz project of mine!
I also want to recognize those who visit my Substack the most often, including Michael (thanks Michael!), Luna, Jean, Ron, Myrna, Maria, to whom I send sustained compassion.
Best,
Dr. Andy
Thanks to Dan for guest-hosting for me last week. Here are three questions from that quiz:
- Mottos and Slogans. What peanut butter brand do Choosy Moms Choose?
- Internet Culture. It was announced recently that Apple will use what AI model to power the upcoming new Siri?
- Roth IRAs. If an 18-year-old contributes $100 a month to her Roth IRA for life, and it compounds yearly at 8%, would the tax-free amount she has when she retires at age 65 be closest to $250K, $500K, $1 million, or $2 million?