Tag Archives: Robert K. Stephen

RKS Literature: That Oft Used Parental Expression “When I’m Dead….” (Georges Simenon)

“This was the first time since I’d been with you in the room where you were slowly dying that you spoke, even indirectly, of death. When I was a child and then a young man, you often spoke of it, I’d almost say with satisfaction. ‘ When I’m dead children…..’ Or: ‘You’ll understand when I’mContinue reading “RKS Literature: That Oft Used Parental Expression “When I’m Dead….” (Georges Simenon)”

RKS Literature: What Else Could it be But Hatred? (Georges Simenon)

“When I speak of hatred, I’m not exaggerating. True, I wasn’t there. But when a husband and wife living under the same roof get to the point where each does his own cooking, each keeping his provisions in his own locked food cupboard, and one waits for the other to vacate the kitchen before gettingContinue reading “RKS Literature: What Else Could it be But Hatred? (Georges Simenon)”

RKS Poetry Anthology (All We Get Are The Coffee Grinds):”Casino COVID”

Casino COVID Caught in slot machine blur Praying for the jackpot of herd immunity Big Pharma legislated impunity The three cherries of hurriedly tested vaccine untested for the long term Could be worse than the germ! RNA concoctions messing with our genes Holy shit where are the simpler days of captain Kangaroo and Mr. Greenjeans?Continue reading “RKS Poetry Anthology (All We Get Are The Coffee Grinds):”Casino COVID””

RKS Literature: Merciless Judging of Parents by Their Children (Georges Simenon)

“Today I realize that a couple with children is not just a couple. And sometimes they forget it. Near them in the house, almost always present, there are children who watch them and, in the measure of their own intelligence, judge them. The parents think of themselves as simply a father and a mother. ButContinue reading “RKS Literature: Merciless Judging of Parents by Their Children (Georges Simenon)”

RKS Literature: Harlem’s Sense of Community Before Its Collapse (James Baldwin)

“When I say I was luckier than the children are today I am deliberately making a very dangerous statement, a statement that I am willing, even anxious, to be called on. A black boy born in New York’s Harlem in 1924 was born of southerners who had but lately been driven from the land andContinue reading “RKS Literature: Harlem’s Sense of Community Before Its Collapse (James Baldwin)”

RKS Literature: Can a White Person Ever Know What a Black Person is Talking About? (James Baldwin)

“I hit the streets when I was seven. It was in the middle of the Depression and I learned how to sing out of hard experience. To be black was to confront, and be forced to alter, a condition forged in history. To be white was to be forced to digest a delusion called whiteContinue reading “RKS Literature: Can a White Person Ever Know What a Black Person is Talking About? (James Baldwin)”

RKS Literature: “The Communist Manifesto”: Your Horror at the Communists’ Intention to Do Away with Private Property

“You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property. But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population; its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence in the hands of those nine-tenths. You reproach us therefore, with intending to do awayContinue reading “RKS Literature: “The Communist Manifesto”: Your Horror at the Communists’ Intention to Do Away with Private Property”

RKS Literature: The Last Wishes of a Dying American Hobo (Jack Kerouac)

“I’m sick. I’m alone, I’m dying-see my hand up-tipped, learn the secret of my human heart, give me the thing, give me your hand, take me to the emerald mountains beyond the city, take me to the safe place, be kind, be nice, smile-I’m too tired now of everything else, I’ve had enough, I giveContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Last Wishes of a Dying American Hobo (Jack Kerouac)”

RKS 2026 Portuguese Wine: Morgado Silgueiros 2021 Reserva (Vinho Tinto) from Portugal’s Dão Region

I was fortunate a few years ago to benefit from a five-day media trip to Portugal’s Dão region relatively close to Porto. The wines and cuisine did not fail to impress. Our base in Viseu was a charming town with a fascinating medieval centre. It is worth a visit as is the Dão wine region.Continue reading “RKS 2026 Portuguese Wine: Morgado Silgueiros 2021 Reserva (Vinho Tinto) from Portugal’s Dão Region”