Introduction:

‘You want it darker?’  the great Leonard Cohen called out in a seeming challenge to the enveloping void…

Inspired by his courage to work to the very end, I take the title for this thematic set from the signature song on the album released just days before his death…

A few of these pieces I had initially conceived to be written as monographs. I knew that considerable research would be needed to do justice to the difficult topics. The usual excuses aside–– those lengthier projects were never finished…

Years later, I take the liberty of presenting the embryonic ideas in shorter essay form… Some of the pieces begin as reflections on films (another a response to a newspaper article) before veering into darker territory. As for concern about exposing too much of the personal in these essays:  what can be more absurd than an invisible old man–– worrying about how he looks?

Even in the persistence of over-promising myself and under-delivering–– I do hope to keep plodding along with these postings. Unlike Cohen affirmed to be, I probably will never feel “ready” for the darkness…  I will likely continue missing deadlines–– except of course, that unavoidable final one…

–FWT (lefthook51)

June 2022

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