On Liberty (II)

Above is an image of Ellsworth Kelly's ultra-elegant solution to the problem of "developing" the WTC site. Papa Able has kept the clipping in his office since 2003, and I find I'm moved each time I see it. There will simply never be any buildings better-looking than the originals, perfect twin icons of a certain 60s/70s sensibility long gone (leave the new sorts to Shanghai and the Emirates). And, honestly, any effort to fill them up with offices, theaters, malls (?) would be a bit gross. However, an entirely spare, green, open field, a "collage" conceived by one of our greatest painters would be something rather holy, a clear reminder of the loss, the scale, as well as a point of renewal, pleasure, oxygen in the midst of grey Lower Manhattan.

Verses (Merry X-Mas edition)

Maybe Next Year (The X-Mas Song)
Meiko
(note: I strongly recommend everyone reading downloads it. It has a strong L.O.V.E. quality.)

I don't think Santa's coming this year 'cause I've been a bad
A bad girl

I've made my bed now I'm lying in it without a care
A care in the world

And I took his heart
I tore it apart
I left him outside in the cold

I shot him down in the middle of town
I left him outside in the snow

I won't have no presents this year 'cause I've been a bad
A bad girl

I've made my bed now I'm lying in it without a care
A care in the world

And he took me in
He made me sin and I never wanna go back again

So I took him in
I made it all in
No
I never wanna go back again

Maybe next year I'll be good
Maybe next year I'll be better