Several years ago I published a children’s book about a bag in the wind, so it’s no wonder I love this poem by April Lindner, who lives in Pennsylvania.
Once you start noticing these wind-blown bags, you see them everywhere.
Lindner's most recent book is “This Bed Our Bodies Shaped” (Able Muse Press, 2012).
Carried Away
One rainy night we sat in traffic and, overtired in back, you saw a wind-whipped grocery bag afloat beyond the clutch of jagged branches, swept by gusts and whirled in eddies. A sudden downdraft swooped it earthward, where it danced till with a whoosh a current luffed it past the power lines. Disowned by gravity, small ghost not yet snagged by twiggy fingers, it couldn’t reach the earth. Thin-skinned, it pulsed, translucent jellyfish. You wept and pled to be let out into the dark and slanted rain, somehow to save that desolate thing. The light turned green and still you begged, Go back, go back, on its behalf, caught and held, bossed and tossed by a will much greater than its own.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They do not accept unsolicited submissions. Poem copyright 2010 by April Lindner, “Carried Away,” from The Hudson Review, (Vol. LXIII, no. 1, Spring 2010). Poem reprinted by permission of April Lindner and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2015 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-06.
Why? That’s the immediate question which comes to mind about the unnecessary reboot of “Fantastic Four,” starring four relative unknowns (except, perhaps, for Miles Teller) in the origin story of how the Marvel Comics superheroes came to possess their unique talents.
This “Fantastic Four,” as opposed, I think, to the two previous installments, spends more time delving into the childhood of Reed Richards, the whiz kid who exerts himself to building a teleportation machine for intergalactic travel, enlisting the help of his classmate Ben Grimm.
The young inventor Reed designs a unique matter transportation device that is cleverly cobbled together from parts scavenged from the salvage yard operated by Ben’s family.
Trial and error of endless experimentation often results in knocking out the power grid throughout the Oyster Bay, Long Island community. But the seventh grade scientist, a complete techno geek, is persistent in his belief that he can finesse his invention.
Years later, at the high school science fair, Miles Teller’s Reed Richards, assisted by Jamie Bell’s Ben Grimm, still fails to impress his dubious science teacher, but gains notice from Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey), dean of the Baxter Institute, a school and think tank.
Dr. Storm invites the young visionary to be a part of his elite group of brilliant students at Baxter Institute, an educational center dedicated to incubating the best new ideas from high school and college students.
Fortunately, the dean of the Baxter Institute spots gifted potential where lesser beings only see Reed’s prototype experiments to be nothing more than a menace to school property and society in general.
Boarding at the Manhattan-based research center, Reed becomes acquainted with Dr. Storm’s children. Sue Storm (Kate Mara), the adopted daughter, is a brilliant scientist and mathematician, and she figures prominently in the quartet of superheroes.
Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) is first seen street racing in his fast car, looking like he may be auditioning for a role in the next “Fast and Furious” film. Like Vin Diesel and his cohorts, Johnny is a rebel who chafes under authority and the strict discipline of his father.
The Baxter program allows Reed to develop a space shuttle that runs on the breakthrough technology he first pioneered in his parents’ garage. Success is achieved when the shuttle transports a monkey to Planet Zero and back without evidence of any ill effects.
One night, Reed decides to test his device on human beings, so he enlists his pal Ben and Dr. Storm’s son Johnny. Also joining the expedition is fellow Baxter student Victor von Doom (Toby Kebbell), soon to become, no surprise to anyone, the ultimate villain.
Brilliant but temperamental, Victor is a computer programmer and hacker lured back to the Institute by Dr. Storm, as Victor had been previously working on the technology which Reed finalized with the Quantum Gate device.
Again, not surprisingly, the amateur astronauts’ mission goes horribly awry, leading to an explosion upon re-entry. Reed, Johnny and Ben are seriously injured, while Victor goes missing while walking around on the surface of another dimension that resembles a primordial Earth, simmering like residue of a volcanic eruption.
Sue, who stayed behind in the lab, is also seriously hurt when the space shuttle returns to its platform. Tim Blake Nelson’s Dr. Allen, the gum-chewing, unscrupulous Baxter board chairman, is only too quick to throw the quartet of young scientists under the bus.
As a result, the government quickly relocates the four young people to a top secret facility known as Area 57, where they are contained and probed like the alien beings they are suspected of having become.
Soon, the quartet exhibits unique physical conditions that provide them with incredible abilities. Reed can stretch his limbs into extraordinary shapes. Johnny can set himself on fire, becoming known as the Human Torch.
Sue can render herself invisible and create powerful force fields. Unlike the others who can go back to their original human condition, Ben is transformed into a permanent hulking rock creature known as The Thing, which becomes an incredibly destructive military weapon.
When Victor von Doom resurfaces, he ushers in the dawn of a new Armageddon because his previous bad temperament has metastasized into full-blown hatred for Planet Earth and civilization.
The inevitable confrontation on the forbidden lava-encrusted planet between Doom and the Fantastic Four arrives at a predictable conclusion, but with only a modicum of exciting action worthy of a superhero franchise.
The best thing going for “Fantastic Four” is that it clocks in at less than two hours, and adding to regret when extra scenes don’t materialize, be warned that the end credits seem to run forever.
Beyond the hard core fan base for the Marvel Comics-to-big screen efforts, reasons to sit through “Fantastic Four” are difficult to formulate into a cohesive argument.
One senses that, in general, the superhero cinematic universe is not well-served by this entry.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Over the past few weeks lives in Lake County have been dominated by the powerful intensity of nature through fire.
NATURE!, a new exhibit, opens Saturday, Aug. 15, with a reception from 6 to 8 pm, and will be on view until Sept. 27 at the Middletown Art Center, 21456 State Highway 175.
Who is master – nature or man? This new exhibit features work by 20 artists reflecting on the relationship between nature, humanity and art; highlighting wood, metal, earth, wax, or light; raw, fired, woven, beaten; sculpted, painted, printed, combined; captured on film or shaped into form.
NATURE! also will include the adjacent lot on the corner of highways 29 and 175 to showcase art work “in dialogue with nature.”
The center hopes to further develop the lot into a permanent sculpture garden, making an inviting addition to Middletown for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Openings at the new center have been well-attended and well-received. The receptions highlight art, music and community. In addition, The Middletown Art Center showcases other vibrant cultural events, and has become a compelling addition to life in Lake County.
Located at the junction of highways 29 and 175 in Middletown, the old Main Street Pavilion – Gymnasium has been transformed into a beautiful space for contemporary art and performance events.
The back portion of the building serves as a studio where classes in drawing, painting, ceramics and more, are offered for children, teens and adults.
The Middletown Art Center is open Thursdays, noon to 6 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 7 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 6 p.m.; or by appointment.
To check class offerings, or find out how to become a member or contribute, visit www.MiddletownArtCenter.org , call 707-809-8118 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association (AMIA), the organization that works to support Anderson Marsh State Historic Park near Lower Lake, is excited about the upcoming Rita Hosking concert slated for Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Soper Reese Theatre in Lakeport.
Proceeds from the concert, which is being presented by AMIA, will benefit the state park.
The headliner is the Rita Hosking Band, which includes Rita Hosking, Sean Feder and Bill Dakin.
Local vocalists InVoice along with the popular Contreras Brothers and the Johnsen Family Band also will be performing.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and Rita Hosking will start playing at 8:30 p.m. You also won’t want to miss special guest, Pat Ickes, a popular regional banjo player who will be playing pedal steel guitar with Rita.
Tickets are $25 each. As usual, refreshments will be available in the lobby and Thorn Hill will be pouring their excellent wine.
Sponsors for this event are being encouraged. “What better way to enjoy the show than sitting at a reserved seat at a table up front with complimentary wine and snacks,” said Don Coffin, AMIA Board member and the coordinator of this event.
Reserved seating is available for different levels of sponsorship including: $125 for two tickets; $250 for four tickets; and $500 for eight tickets.
The $500 level will also include mention on the AMIA Web site and other event publicity to show that you are a supporter of Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
To sponsor this event, contact the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association at 707-995-2658; Don Coffin at 707-995-0658 or Roberta Lyons at 707-994-2024 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Any new book from Robert Morgan, be it poetry or prose, is a delightful event, and Dark Energy, recently published by Penguin, has lots of wonderful poems. Here’s a portrait that I especially like. Morgan lives in New York.
Heaven's Gate
In her nineties and afraid of weather and of falling if she wandered far outside her door, my mother took to strolling in the house. Around and round she’d go, stalking into corners, backtrack, then turn and speed down hallway, stop almost at doorways, skirt a table, march up to the kitchen sink and wheel to left, then swing into the bathroom, almost stumble on a carpet there. She must have walked a hundred miles or more among her furniture and family pics, mementos of her late husband. Exercising heart and limb, outwalking stroke, attack, she strode, not restless like a lion in zoo, but with a purpose and a gait, and kept her eyes on heaven’s gate.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They do not accept unsolicited submissions. “Heaven’s Gate,” from DARK ENERGY by Robert Morgan, copyright 2015 by Robert Morgan. Used by permission of Viking Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Introduction copyright 2015 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.
Tom Cruise appears to be defying the laws of physics in his role of secret agent Ethan Hunt in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, now entering its fifth exciting installment.
After all, a middle-aged man just shy of qualifying for the senior discount at Denny’s shouldn’t be able to perform the great physical feats on display, of which many are apparently performed by him and not a stunt double.
In “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” Tom Cruise’s super spy for the clandestine Impossible Mission Force (IMF) agency is also challenging the laws of gravity.
In the thrilling opening sequence, Ethan Hunt is seen clinging to the side of an airplane lifting off the ground. Though James Bond was no slouch, I don’t recall our favorite British agent doing something quite as dramatic and death-defying.
The beauty of “Mission: Impossible 5” is that it is a high-flying act of relentless action, where Ethan Hunt’s physical talents, let alone stamina, are tested to an extreme measure. Hanging on to the side of a cargo plane hijacked by terrorists is evidently all in the matter of a day’s work.
Backed up by loyal fellow agents, Ethan dares to fight the good fight for justice and virtue against the forces of evil. Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt, a faithful guardian of the IMF team, knows how to evade the questions at a Senate hearing in order to protect the IMF from a witch hunt.
Simon Pegg’s Benji, the whiz kid who can hack the enemy’s sensitive materials, adds some welcome comic relief. Bringing a no-nonsense attitude to the game is Ving Rhames’ Luther Stickell, Ethan’s longtime pal.
For reasons best known to the spooks at the CIA, the IMF team has come under fire for their unorthodox methods. CIA director Hunley (Alec Baldwin), pretentious and arrogant to the core, manages to get the IMF disbanded and transferred to his agency.
Out in the field, the directives from Langley are routinely ignored, considering that Ethan has uncovered a harrowing threat to the free world in the form of a shadowy group only known as the Syndicate, an organization wrongly believed by top officials to be a myth.
Well, London and Washington might be clueless or disbelieving of the major threat, but Ethan Hunt knows better, and he brings his team together to wage war on the most dastardly archenemy the “Mission: Impossible” franchise has ever seen.
The search for the head of the Syndicate takes Ethan to some of the dark corners of the world. His most memorable encounter is with Ilsa Faust (Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson), a tough cookie who proves to be the female ying to Ethan’s yang.
The sexy, brilliant and tough Ilsa, a puzzling enigma and basically impenetrable, alternates between being helpful and harmful to Ethan, and as such, we are left guessing as to whether she’s a deep undercover British agent, a double agent or someone keen on double crosses.
The story features a few major set pieces that advance the hunt for Soloman Lane (Sean Harris), the former British spy who has turned to the dark side of espionage with his formation of the Syndicate, an international assortment of bad guys from around the globe.
New to the franchise, director Christopher McQuarrie has set in motion a very workable formula of mixing genuine suspense and the flat-out thrills of overheated action sequences. His laudable goal is to create an exciting thriller, and that’s exactly what he succeeds in doing.
The first major set piece involves a trip to the Vienna State Opera, where the action backstage is nail-bitingly tense as Ethan must attempt to foil the assassination of the Austrian prime minister, all the while hunting more than one adversary about to pull the trigger.
Other than generating genuine terror on a global scale, the objective of the Syndicate is somewhat murky, but the creepy Solomon Lane, who similar to most Bond villains would have us believe he’s the smartest man in the room, is a nasty bit of business.
It’s a plus to have a really good villain, someone that brings out our rooting interest in witnessing his eventual demise. That’s certainly what we get with the oddball Solomon Lane.
On the other hand, Rebecca Ferguson’s conflicted Ilsa Faust is a wonder to behold. Smart and beautiful, Ilsa keeps everyone guessing, even when she causes a lot of mayhem with an exciting motorcycle chase in Morocco.
“Mission: Impossible” is the kind of movie that one should enjoy without knowing too many details in advance. Suffice it to say, Ethan is put to the test of his physical endurance in a thrilling underwater sequence, which nearly goes horribly wrong.
If you enjoyed the last film, “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” then I would say that “Rogue Nation” is a surefire hit as well. This could be the best in the series, or, at the very least, the equal to “Ghost Protocol.”
Going by the experience of the fourth and fifth films in the series, it’s no wonder that a sixth installment looms large. As long as Tom Cruise stays in shape, “Mission: Impossible” could conceivably carry him to the day he gets his Medicare card.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
