-
HAVE I STAYED TOO LONG AT THE FAIR
You may be excused if you do not recall exactly what you do were doing on the evening of August 4, 1959. It was a Tuesday, but otherwise it was unremarkable. I do not recall what I was doing that evening but I assume that I was working for the great AT&T organization and I…
-
IT HASN’T HAPPENED YET
In the spring of the year 2010, I found myself in the offices of my favorite internist on more occasions than I would like to recall. I had no specific complaints, such as my foot hurting or my head hurting, but rather I told the internist that I simply felt lousy, lousy, lousy. The internist…
-
TERROR, COMPASSION AND HOPE
Those of you who parse these pages of Ezra’s Essays will recall the name of Sven Lernevall. Mr. Lernevall is an accomplished fellow who speaks his native tongue of Swedish. Also he and his wife Ella speak flawless English. Interestingly, the accent that he brings to the English language is of the American variety. I…
-
SAINTLY THOUGHTS AND OTHER ECCLESIASTICAL MATTERS
I am quite aware that it is unseemly of me to dictate an essay on saintly matters and other ecclesiastical thoughts. Be that it as it may, on this Yom Kippur afternoon that is where my thoughts are headed. A learned gentleman once said to me that Catholic saints offer some specific qualities. For example,…
-
A LITTLE THISA AND A LITTLE THATA
Those of you with prodigious memories may recall that in 2009 there were three essays appearing in this space. All of them had to do with Ben Bernie, the orchestra leader of the 1930s, 1940s and ‘50s. When Ben Bernie led his orchestra through a medley of songs, he would often introduce it as “a…
-
UPON BEING TIRED AND FEARED
This essay is being written for those who trace their birth to nearly pre-historic times. Specifically, it is being written for those of us who have passed the age barrier of 80 so long ago that it must be viewed in the rear view mirror of our lives. Facts are facts and no magic hoopla…
-
MOLASSES MOBILITY
Upon reflection, it may be that this essay should be properly entitled “Molasses Immobility.” But we will get to that question a bit later. It may well be that readers of Ezra’s Essays are unfamiliar with the term molasses. I always try to be helpful in these circumstances and here is what a reference source…
-
FORBIDDEN WORDS
As an essayist, I welcome all words that will fit appropriately in my essays. There are several million people who write better essays than I do, including Christopher Hitchens. Hitchens is in love with the words he writes and the longer and more obscure terms suit him greatly. My essays are less esoteric and deal…
-
A LECTURE ON THE ART/SCIENCE OF FALLING
It is my hope that all of you grammarians who read these essays will be aware of the fact that I really said “falling” not “falling down.” I have observed over this long life that things do not fall up. The fact is that they fall in a downward fashion. And so this lecture will…
-
SAVERS OF STRING
I have given this essay the title which may recall some distant memories of the Bible by calling it “Savers of String” instead of “String Savers”. Now having settled that question, I would like to dedicate it to Thelma Dupont. This essay is so dedicated to Thelma because she comes from a family larger than…