The swallow takes flight

The American begins with a line from the gay English poet Oscar Wilde, and his story "The Happy Prince".

     "I am waited for in Egypt," said the Swallow. 

I begin here because this blog (oh how I hate the word, blog) is inspired by memories, and oddly enough this line is one of my more poignant ones. Presently I am bombarded every hour by by a hail storm of of such missiles, these memories, that I am soon to be buried alive. I asked a friend if this was normal. He said sure it is, that's what we call nostalgia. But this is not nostalgia; this is an ambush, and this is murder. My plan is to write my way out of this assault.

Oscar Wilde's tale of the the golden statue and the swallow that fell in love with him (Him) left a deep mark on my childhood, right  up there with "Free to Be You and Me". I didn't read Wilde's story until I was in college. We watched film version of it in the 3rd or 4th grade. I connect "The Happy Prince" with memories because the film has such a nostalgic feel, its two main characters holding fast to their dreams even as winter and the harsh realities of their world close in around them. Around the time I saw this little film (it was a Friday afternoon, elementary school in Alpine, Texas) I made a vow to myself that would never grow up, remain a child forever. Well right there I went and buggered myself. It's no wonder that I so often find myself bombarded by memories. 


The American writes of memories, deals a counter blow on the front lines of nostalgia. Yah, yah, yah, but what is the American really writing about here?

• The highlights of my youth: role playing games and all related aspects.
• Autobiographic schlep. 
• Thoughts on American culture and society.
• Growing old as a diplomat, the American abroad.

If I don't write about role playing games, I don't think I'll be able to hold my own interest for more than a post or two. 

So, time for this swallow to fly. It is not the African variety with a propensity for transporting coconuts. This is the American bird taking wing.