Your Eyewitness Bob Dylan was mesmerized by the biopic of Bob Dylan “A Complete Unknown” for which Timothée Chalamet and Edward Norton both received Oscar nominations for their portrayals of respectively, Dylan and Pete Seegar. The latter took the young Dylan – who’d eventually snag a Nobel Prize for Literature for his songwriting!! – under his wing in New York. As he pecked away at this piece on Easter Monday, an old, haunting folk ballad by Peter Seeger captured his sentiments.
“Where have all the flowers gone?/ Long time passing/ Where have all the flowers gone?/ The girls have picked them every one.” The refrain continued when it’s asked about all the young girls (they’re all marries” then “young boys” (they’re all “In uniform” – off to war) etc. In your Eyewitness’ mind rose the question “where have all the kites gone?” – and he had no answer. Even in the days leading up to Easter Monday the skies over his village would be filled with kites fluttering, swooping and creating a hum that rose to the heavens!!
But this year, zilch!! Nada!! Making and flying kites was a time-honoured tradition passed down in families from fathers to sons – as much as houses, land and heirlooms. Your Eyewitnesss’ father told him about drying straight twigs for weeks in the sun to make the kites’ frame and then picking ripe “gamma” that provided the glue to attach the newspaper sheets to the frame. Strips torn from mother’s old dresses provided the tail. The trick to making the kites swoop and turn to do battle with other kites was in the making of the “loop” and the length of the tail!!
And time went by – and things improved – your now grown-up Eyewitness would buy “kite frames” from the village joiner, and “kite paper” from the shops to make his trademark “star point” kites for his kids. The missus used to prepare a picnic basket of bara, phoulerie, egg-ball, aloo-ball etc and take the kid to the sea-wall for that Easter outing!! It was a grand time when the different generations would get an opportunity to mix, mingle – and gossip!!
The question as to where have all the kites gone is really a metaphor of how the times have changed. His own kids are all grown and THEIR kids don’t appear to have any desire for kite flying. At a minimum – your Eyewitness figures – if they’re to get the kite up and keep it there, they’d have to use their hands. Which would be quite difficult – if not impossible – with the smartphones that have now become fused as extensions of their hands!!
The young’uns are now probably flying virtual kites – guided by AI rather than their fathers!!
…the Pope
After his well-publicized illness, Pope Francis died on Easter Monday – which he most likely saw as a blessing because of its connection with the death of Jesus. His successor will be chosen after his funeral – which will be in nine days – in a process that’s been in place for a millennium. He’ll be selected from one of the 138 Cardinals from across the world who’re eligible – of the total 254 – and who will be in Rome for the event.
They’ll form themselves into a Conclave under the Sistine Chapel and vote again and again until one candidate gets the requisite two-thirds majority. Each day the ballots will be burnt with chemicals that produce either white or black smoke that’ll be seen by the massed crowds outside. White smoke signals someone was chosen!! That someone – for the first time in history – may be from Africa or Asia – but in the opinion of your Eyewitness, this ain’t too likely.
In the meantime, a senior cardinal – the camerlengo – takes charge.
…angst?
The Opposition’s livid cause some new currency notes are bearing and being illustrated by the slogan “One Guyana”!! They don’t want us to be “one Guyana”?? To an (opposition) hammer, everything’s a nail.
