I don’t think I’ve ever sold anything that, later, I didn’t wish I had back, and I have a list of regrets as long as my arm. So this poem by Melissa Balmain really caught my attention.

Balmain lives in New York State, and her most recent book is Walking in on People, from Able Muse Press.

Love Poem

The afternoon we left our first apartment,
we scrubbed it down from ceiling to parquet.
Who knew the place could smell like lemon muffins?
It suddenly seemed nuts to move away.

The morning someone bought our station wagon,
it gleamed with wax and every piston purred.
That car looked like a centerfold in Hot Rod!
Too late, we saw that selling was absurd.

And then there was the freshly tuned piano
we passed along to neighbors with a wince.
We told ourselves we’d find one even better;
instead we’ve missed its timbre ever since.

So if, God help us, we are ever tempted
to ditch our marriage when it’s lost its glow,
let’s give the thing our finest spit and polish—
and, having learned our lesson, not let go.

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. Poem copyright 2014 by Melissa Balmain, “Love Poem,” from Walking in on People, (Able Muse Press, 2014). Poem reprinted by permission of Melissa Balmain and Able Muse Press. 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. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

An interesting programming choice for the Lifetime Network was scheduling a head-to-head contest for their eight-part original series “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” on the same date and time that the AMC Network launched the highly-anticipated final seven episodes of “Mad Men,” in which ad-man Don Draper is the chief protagonist.

Lizzie Borden is a real person, famously acquitted of the ax murders of her father and stepmother in the late 19th century, while Don Draper is purely fictional, in more ways than one, considering that his character’s real name was long-ago revealed to be Dick Whitman.

The parallels between Christina Ricci’s Lizzie Borden and Jon Hamm’s Don Draper are curiously rooted in the behavior of manipulative characters often showing disregard for truth and the feelings of others.

The key difference, of course, is that Don Draper, though often slick and conniving, is no murderer. Well, at least, not as far as we know up to now. We’ll see what seven episodes bring.

Lifetime’s “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” is a followup to the cable network’s very successful launch of last year’s “Lizzie Borden Took an Ax,” which also starred Christina Ricci and Clea DuVall as the Borden sisters, Lizzie and Emma, respectively.

Set in 1893, the “Chronicles” begins four months after Lizzie Borden was acquitted in the controversial trial held in her hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts, a place where the Borden sisters remain, though ostracized from polite society.

As revealed to the nation’s TV critics during the winter press tour, in explaining the historical fiction of the series, Christina Ricci said that Lizzie’s story is about “what happens after the trial as she continues to misbehave, shall we say.” Indeed, that is very much the case, even as Emma turns a blind eye to the bizarre behavior of her younger sibling.

Greed and ambition are factors in Lizzie’s ongoing battles with her wayward half-brother (Andrew Howard), who becomes a convenient foil in a larger struggle with her father’s business partner (John Heard). In the first two episodes, let’s just say that untimely deaths for several persons are not mere coincidences.

People that are close to Lizzie, like Broadway luminaries and an underworld kingpin, start to mysteriously die under brutal and strange circumstances.

The legendary Pinkerton detective Charlie Siringo (Cole Hauser) becomes determined to prove Lizzie’s involvement in their ultimate demise, though his presence is curiously unwelcomed by the town’s inept marshal.

Keeping in mind that others besides Ricci involved in the production referred to the “Chronicles” as historical fiction, the storylines nevertheless work off some of the rumors that have swirled about the case, including that Lizzie engaged in lesbian acts with the maid in her employ.

At the winter press conference, one reporter had the temerity to observe that Christina Ricci is the “queen of the creepy smile.”

Well, he was spot-on. But that’s one reason why Ricci is so good in this type of role, and it’s a good enough to stay tuned to all episodes of “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles.”

While the Lizzie Borden fictional history is practically an open book, the AMC Network has gone to great lengths to keep news about “Mad Men” so tightly under wraps that we can’t even reveal whether Don Draper wears his fedora while driving a late model automobile. OK, I am exaggerating but AMC was not exactly forthcoming.

Basically, a request for a preview screener was not accommodated because they had run out of press kits. As if to provide comfort, the AMC publicist said the critics had been admonished not to reveal any details, so there was little point to watching an episode in advance.

So, therefore, what are the clues we can gather about what is to come? The series creator, Matthew Weiner, told the press in January that he was “extremely interested in what the audience thinks, so much so that I’m trying to delight them and confound them and not frustrate and irritate them. I don’t want them to walk away angry.”

Oh well, that doesn’t really clear up matters. What might be more telling is a promo reel on the AMC Web site entitled “Mad Men by the Numbers.” It tells us that during the course of the series 942 cigarettes were smoked and 369 drinks were poured in the office.

More notable is that Don Draper has gone through nine secretaries and that he’s slept with 18 women. Going by these metrics, more booze will flow and Don, though still married to Megan, could have a fling with one of the cast regulars. Could it be Christina Hendricks’ statuesque Joan Harris or Elisabeth Moss’s Peggy Olson, or some wild card?

Unlike network television, where repeat episodes come long after the season ends, cable tends to repeat the same episode during the course of the week, thus allowing you the likelihood of not having to choose Lizzie Borden over Don Draper, or vice versa.

Both series will be worth watching. My only quibble with “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” was the occasional use of very contemporary language that does not fit the period.

On the other hand, one of the best things about “Mad Men” is how it captured the mood and tempo of Madison Avenue advertising during the 1960s.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Bob Culbertson and Rick Alegria will celebrate the release of their new CD, “Cause & Effect,” at the Soper Reese Theatre on Saturday, April 25, at 7 p.m.

Tickets are now on sale for $15.

Culbertson is a virtuoso on The Stick, a unique instrument invented by Emmett Chapman which has 10 to 12 strings and evokes guitar and bass elements.

Culbertson has toured throughout the U.S., including at Carnegie Hall, and in more than 15 countries overseas.

Drummer Alegria has performed with Bo Diddley, Maria Muldaur, Asleep At The Wheel and Commander Cody.

He currently works with singer-songwriter Paul Williams and just played for an episode of the CBS daytime show, “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

Alegria also teaches pop, rock, Latin, country, and jazz drumming styles.                                                        

The Soper Reese Theatre is at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.

Tickets are available online at www.SoperReeseTheatre.com ; at the theater box office on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; or at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information call 707-263-0577.

Some of us will be eating ham on Easter, and I thought I’d offer you a poem about a champion pig, by Jill Breckenridge, a Minnesotan who has written a series of poems based on that state’s fair.

Her most recent book of poems is Sometimes, Nodin Press, 2015.

Pretty Ricky

He’s 1200 pounds of pink pork covered by black
bristles stiff enough to needle and sew with,
Pretty Ricky, all six feet of him spread
out, asleep, no fancy dancer, neither twirler
nor prancer, just eats and sleeps, the biggest
boar at the Fair, oblivious to gawkers, smirkers,
cholesterol, or weight watchers, fat off the hoof,
fat lying flat, good only for breeding and eating,
he won’t even stand to show off all the pork cuts
displayed on the poster behind him: ham, it says,
from the butt, oldest meat of civilized man;
kabobs from the shoulder, roasted on swords
by early Asian nomads; spareribs, sausage,
and bacon from the belly. Pretty Ricky urges
me to swear off pork, but it’s lunchtime and my
stomach wanders off to a foot-long or a brat with
‘kraut. I think twice, three times, waffle back
and forth between meat and a veggie wrap, as,
in front of me, many meals stretch out, dozing.

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. Poem copyright 2009 by Jill Breckenridge, “Pretty Ricky,” from Low Down and Coming On: A Feast of Delicious and Dangerous Poems About Pigs, James P. Lenfestey, Ed., (Red Dragonfly Press, 2010). Poem reprinted by permission of Jill Breckenridge 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 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

“You can’t have it all unless you’ve been cloned.” That’s not the motto of the TCM Classic Film Festival, but it would be the only practical way to enjoy too many great movies during the short span of the long weekend that just occurred in the film capital of Hollywood.

Now in its sixth year, and thriving as the mecca for cinema devotees, the TCM Festival typically offers five or six films at a time and the occasional panel discussion that overlap during the course of a day that approximately runs from 9 a.m. to midnight.

The definition of a classic film ranges the gamut of popular culture. From the opening night ceremony associated with the screening of the 50th anniversary edition of “The Sound of Music” to a mix of classics like “Roman Holiday” and “Inherit the Wind,” TCM offers something for everyone.

Being selective and willing to endure the daily slog is the only hope for enjoying old favorites and discovering the wonders of films rarely seen. One such find on opening night, in a brilliant stroke of counter-programming to “The Sound of Music,” was the film noir classic “Too Late for Tears.”

Not familiar with the film lovingly restored only last year by Eddie Muller’s Film Noir Foundation? Well, neither was I, though star Lizabeth Scott, the ultimate femme fatale, should be widely known as a leading lady of the genre in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Arguably, Scott, the sultry blonde with a husky voice, was at the top of her game as a duplicitous schemer in “Too Late for Tears,” feverishly manipulating her husband (Arthur Kennedy) when they discover a suitcase full of stolen loot. Then, homicidal complications set in a when a grifter (Dan Duryea) comes looking for the cash.

Another great discovery was “Don’t Bet on Women,” a sophisticated comedy from 1931 in which Jeanette MacDonald had her only non-singing role, here the neglected wife of Roland Young’s judge. Disillusioned playboy Edmund Lowe bets the judge he can get the next woman to enter the room to kiss him within 48 hours.

You’ve probably guessed the identity of the unwitting subject of this bet. In short order, MacDonald figures out what is going on, and takes the whole affair into her own hands, displaying under-appreciated comedic talent to trip up the designs of her husband and the playboy.

What “Don’t Bet on Women” and “Too Late for Tears” both have in common is sharp dialogue and brilliant witticisms.

More comedy genius was on display with screenings of vintage films starring W.C. Fields and Buster Keaton.

At the screening of “The Bank Dick,” hailed as one of the funniest of his career, Fields’ grandsons Ron and Allen Fields engaged the audience in a discussion of their mission to keep his brand of humor alive.

Having been born in Philadelphia, Fields always disparaged his hometown. The grandsons revealed that the true line he claimed to wish for his tombstone was, in fact, “I’d rather be in Philadelphia.” Instead, his graveyard is marked with only the dates of birth and death.

Actress Illeana Douglas, also participating, observed that W.C. Fields had a disdain for moral authority. He also didn’t care much for children and dogs. His inspired brand of misanthropic comedy made him an unlikely star during Hollywood’s glamour days.

In “The Bank Dick” Fields’ inveterate tippler kept stumbling into jobs, first as a movie director and then as a bank’s security guard. The grandsons confirmed that Fields constantly improvised and did not follow the script, much to the consternation and dismay of studio executives.

Another great gem at the TCM Festival was the brilliant staging of Buster Keaton’s silent film comedy “Steamboat Bill, Jr.,” featuring a live orchestra conducted by legendary silent film composer Carl Davis in a world premiere performance of his new score.

A great score adds much to a film’s appeal, and yet Buster Keaton, starring as in the inept son of a paddle steamer in love with the daughter of his father’s wealthy business rival, delivered of one of his funniest and most elaborate slapstick comedies.

“Steamboat Bill, Jr.” allows Keaton to transition from subtle pantomime in early scenes to manic slapstick for the film’s climax, where a cyclone includes the iconic image of Keaton doggedly trying to walk against wind that won’t let him move at all.

The screening of old favorite “The French Connection” was worthwhile, not just to see it on the big screen, but for the discussion that followed with director William Friedkin, as he was interviewed by Alec Baldwin.

The director spoke at great length about the making of the film, including the famous white-knuckle chase scene.

Though it would be hard to imagine this film not starring Gene Hackman, Friedkin revealed that Jackie Gleason was the first choice, who was rejected by studio chief Dick Zanuck. Peter Boyle was then offered the part, but he wanted to do romantic comedies.

Friedkin admitted that Hackman was never one of his choices for the role of hard-nosed detective Popeye Doyle.

The spectacular chase scene, with Hackman chasing an above-ground runaway subway, was filmed mostly without permits, according to Friedkin, who said the production hired some off-duty cops and had the help of the original NYPD narcotics detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso.

With a small budget, “The French Connection” had to be filmed entirely on location, and with no constructed sets.

The result is a documentary-style crime film, capturing the gritty streets of New York in 1971, that remains to this day one of the very best police dramas. In a manner of fashion, it’s almost like a film noir of the period.

The TCM Classic Film Festival is now firmly set as a first-rate film lover’s experience, and one should plan now for the seventh one next spring.
  
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

Poetry is a good way to capture epiphanies, and this poem by Penny Harter does just that. Harter lives and teaches in New Jersey.

In the Dark

At bedtime, my grandson’s breath
rasps in and out of fragile lungs.
Holding the nebulizer mask
over his nose and mouth,
I rock him on my lap and hum
a lullaby to comfort him.

The nebulizer hisses as steroids
stream into his struggling chest,
and suddenly he also starts to hum,
his infant voice rising and falling
on the same few notes—some hymn
he must have learned while in the womb
or carried here from where he was before—
a kind of plainsong, holy and hypnotic
in the dark.

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. Poem copyright 2013 by Penny Harter, “In the Dark,” from The Resonance Around Us (Mountains and Rivers Press, 2013). Poem reprinted by permission of Penny Harter and Mountains and Rivers Press. 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. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.