That sage curse, "May you live in interesting times," has been upon us for the past few years, but here a Kentucky poet, Jonathan Greene, offers us some reassurance that there is order in the world.

Greene has a special talent for, and love of, short poems, and this is a good example of his work.

This poem is from his most recent book, “Afloat,” published by Broadstone Books.

The Return

We are heartened
when each year
the barn swallows
return.

They find their old nests,
teach their young to fly,
lining up on the barn roof
for their first flight.

They remind us,
for now, some rituals
of this good earth
continue.


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2018 by Jonathan Greene, "The Return," from Afloat, (Broadstone Books, 2019). Poem reprinted by permission of Jonathan Greene and the publisher. Introduction copyright @2020 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.

‘THE INVISIBLE MAN,’ Rated R

Any movie infused with psychological thrills and acts of desperation is bound to have a few plot holes, and as entertaining as the thriller “The Invisible Man” turns out to be, exceptions to the rule are not found here.

There’s no need to get into a discussion about the source material of the H.G. Wells eponymous novel. This film’s story is imagined to contemporary times with technological innovations that could have frightening implications.

In a standout performance, Elisabeth Moss’ Cecilia Kass is trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist acclaimed for his breakthrough work in the scientific field of optics.

The opening scene in the dead of night is a chilling, intense escape that Cecilia devises from the clutches of her abusive partner Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), slipping away with little more than a bag of personal items.

Barely making a getaway after an alarm is tripped at the fortress-like seaside mansion, Cecilia is aided by her sister Emily (Harriet Dyer) so that she may take refuge at the home of childhood friend James Lanier (Aldis Hodge).

Moving in with James, a Bay Area police officer, and his teenage daughter Sydney (Storm Reid), seems like a safe haven for Cecilia, especially after Adrian commits suicide, leaving her a generous portion of his vast fortune with certain stipulations.

Even beyond the grave (or is he really dead, after all?), Adrian exerts control over Cecilia with conditions that are left to his lawyer sibling Tom Griffin (Michael Dorman) to administer at his discretion.

Soon thereafter, a series of eerie coincidences build tension within the Lanier household, beginning with an unseen force that removes the covers from Cecilia’s bed and then keeping her from pulling the covers back again.

The odd things happening in the house become more pronounced, such as an eerie stovetop fire and the odd disappearance of items like Cecilia’s portfolio of architectural drawings.

Convinced that Adrian’s suicide was a hoax and that somehow the genius has found a way to use his optics machine invention to cloak his physical being, Cecilia’s sanity unravels as she tries to prove she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

Eventually the happenings turn more violent to where only Cecilia knows what’s happening and others begin to question her erratic behavior, or worse, suspect that she has committed the foul deeds.

All of this is designed, of course, so that Cecilia will start to go mad with paranoia, a state of mind that conveniently would allow the creepy lawyer to rescind any monthly payments of Adrian’s estate.

To its credit, “The Invisible Man,” though it has its share of plot holes, eschews the junk thrills of many horror films and instead creates a mood of dread that builds tension that is really entertaining.



‘THE LAST THING HE WANTED’ ON NETFLIX

To state the obvious, Netflix is delivering a surfeit of original movies and television series to rival the output of most major studios, networks and cable channels, and just like its competitors, Netflix will have its share of duds.

Case in point is the adaptation of Joan Didion’s novel “The Last Thing He Wanted” into a feature film with an all-star cast that cannot save what turns out to be an incoherent plot not worth following.

Action kicks off in 1982 when Anne Hathaway’s Elena McMahon, an intrepid reporter with the Atlantic Post, and her colleague Alma Guerrero (Rosie Perez), are fleeing a hail of bullets in war-torn El Salvador.

Even after safely returning to Washington, D.C., Elena wants nothing more than to return to Central America in pursuit of stories about American involvement in support of Nicaraguan rebels.

Instead, she gets assigned to cover the balloon drops at campaign rallies during the 1984 presidential election, when she’d rather be anywhere else. She gets an out when her estranged father, Dick McMahon (Willem Dafoe), takes ill.

Reunited with her father in Miami, Elena learns that he remains a renegade outlaw even when his final days are at hand. Dick seeks her help to salvage a lucrative seven-figure deal.

Elena heads to the capital city of Costa Rica, where she will broker an arms deal for surplus Army weapons with the Contras, thus putting herself into the middle of her own story that had been sidelined by her editor.

Meanwhile, she forms a relationship with shady government official Treat Morrison (Ben Affleck) that creates another murky storyline.

Sadly, Elena’s only emotional connection to anyone consists of phone calls to her young daughter who understandably doesn’t want to be stuck in a boarding school.

Also, what’s up with her stint as a maid at a near-deserted beach hotel run by the dissolute ex-pat Paul Schuster (Toby Jones)? Maybe it was a place to hide until safe passage back to the States.

The irony of “The Last Thing He Wanted” is the obvious play on its title as a short-hand summary of a critical review, namely “The Last Thing We Wanted,” or “The Last Thing We Needed.”

That pretty well sums it up.

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

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife invites artists to submit their original artwork to the 2020-2021 California Duck Stamp Art Contest.

Submissions will be accepted April 27 through May 29.

The contest is open to U.S. residents 18 years of age or older as of Feb. 27, 2020. Entrants need not reside in California.

The winning artwork will be reproduced on the 2020-2021 California Duck Stamp. The top submissions will also be showcased at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association’s art show in July.

The artwork must depict the species selected by the California Fish and Game Commission, which for the 2020-2021 hunting season is the canvasback.

These fast-flying, diving ducks are the largest of their genus, Aythya, and are characterized by a white back with a reddish-brown neck and head that slopes gently into a long black beak. In California, the canvasback migrates along the Pacific Flyway to wintering grounds on lakes, estuaries and protected bays.

The design is to be in full color and in the medium (or combination of mediums) of the artist’s choosing, except that no photographic process, digital art, metallic paints or fluorescent paints may be used in the finished design.

Photographs, computer-generated art, art produced from a computer printer or other computer/mechanical output device (airbrush method excepted) are not eligible for entry and will be disqualified.

The design must be the contestant’s original hand-drawn creation. The entry design may not be copied or duplicated from previously published art, including photographs, or from images in any format published on the Internet.

All entries must be accompanied by a completed participation agreement and entry form. These forms and the official rules are available online at wildlife.ca.gov/duck-stamp/contest.

Entries will be judged in June. The judges’ panel, which will consist of experts in the fields of ornithology, conservation, and art and printing, will choose first, second and third-place winners, as well as honorable mention.

Since 1971, CDFW’s annual contest has attracted top wildlife artists from around the country. All proceeds generated from stamp sales go directly to waterfowl conservation projects throughout California. In past years, hunters were required to purchase and affix the stamp to their hunting license.

Now California has moved to an automated licensing system and hunters are no longer required to carry the physical stamps in the field (proof of purchase prints directly onto the license).

However, CDFW will still produce the stamps, which can be requested by interested individuals at http://wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/collector-stamps .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Don't miss Austin & Owens’ performance at the Coffee House Concert Series on Saturday, March 21, at Fore Family Winery tasting room, 3920 Main St., Kelseyville.

Travis Austin and Robert Owens have been performing music together now for more than 15 years.

As a traditional guitar duo, they have performed all around Northern California, gaining popularity with wineries, resorts, breweries and private wedding events.

Classically trained, Austin & Owens blend jazz flavors with Flamenco influences creating everything from elegant atmosphere music to electrifying stage performances.

Austin & Owens perform material ranging from classical pieces such as “Ave Maria” and “La Malaguena,” to film soundtrack favorites and even classic rock instrumental covers.

The doors open at 6:30 p.m., the show begins at 7 p.m.

Admission is $15 per person.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.uuclc.org , Watershed Books in Lakeport, at the Fore Family Winery tasting room and at the door (until sold out). Seating is limited so arrive early.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The third concert in the 2020 Saturday Night Jazz Club Series at the Soper Reese Theatre features the Rural Jazz Collective led by Tom Aiken.

The show is set for Saturday, March 14, at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $20 with open seating.

The Rural Jazz Collective is the result of Aiken’s desire to create an ensemble based on a freer, less restrictive approach to jazz performance and literature.

Aiken is well known to the Lake County music scene, starting as a music teacher for many years in the Kelseyville school system.

He studied organ and harpsichord at CSU Chico and received a graduate degree with a concentration in music composed before 1750 and after 1900. While at Chico he became interested in improvised music, especially jazz.

He has continued his pursuit of jazz and commercial music, and has played the keyboards with a number of groups in Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma and Butte counties.

Playing with Aiken are Steve Baird on bass, Travis Austin on guitar, and Steve DuBois on drums.

Baird has been performing around Lake and Mendocino counties since the early Eighties providing the bass pulse and vocals for a variety of jazz, rock and acoustic ensembles.

Austin is trained as a classical guitarist and is often seen playing neo-flamenco with partner Robert Owens.

DuBois is the drummer for several local bands including Bill Noteman and the Rockets, and Blues Farm.

The Rural Jazz Collective concert is sponsored by Mike Stempe, and Carol and Steve Schepper.

For tickets go to www.soperreesetheatre.com or to The Travel Center, 825 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets also are sold up to two hours ahead of the show at the theatre box office.

For more information call 707-263-0577.

The theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.

Robert Bly is one of the last living major American poets of his generation, and W.W. Norton recently published his Collected Poems.

I and many other poets of the central states owe Bly, who grew up on a Minnesota farm, a great deal, for showing us how to write about what's around us, the turkey sheds, the great skies, the rain-filled roadside ditches, all of it.

Here's one poem about our life force that I'm especially fond of.

Why We Don't Die

In late September many voices
Tell you you will die.
That leaf says it, that coolness.
All of them are right.

Our many souls—what
Can they do about it?
Nothing. They’re already
Part of the invisible.

Our souls have been
Longing to go home
Anyway. “It's late,” they say,
“Lock the door, let’s go.”

The body doesn't agree. It says
“We buried a little iron
Ball under that tree.
Let’s go get it.”


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Copyright © 2018, 2011, 2005, 2001, 1997, 1994, 1985, 1981, 1979, 1977, 1975, 1973, 1972, 1967, 1966, 1965, 1964, 1963, 1962, 1961, 1960, 1959, 1953 by Robert Bly. Used with permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Introduction copyright @2020 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.