[Critique Group 2] Leonard's comments on Brad's pieces

Tue May 12 13:48:25 EDT 2020

This is notwhat we expect from you, but it is the same great style.

It is a ratherbleak interpretation of the city. 

Unfortunately,it is the same way I tend to interpret it. 

But there areother interpretations  

For example, Ihave a friend who walks the bowrey, using a grocery cart to steady herself. 

She’s almostninety  and is a retired nun. 

She works asoup kitchen and gives counsel to the people there. 

What is notknown, is that she  is an aunt to arather well known polotitian  there, 

and she livesin a rather nice apartment.

City Serenade

C By Brad Corallo

Word count 291

The 2 bit,counterfeit biker boy

with his Kawasaki and his vinyljacket

brags about, he'son the street

but his dad's ina high tax bracket.

Maybe istrying to rebel against his father and find himself.

And scarredlittle Tommy-Suzie

tryin' to figureout what she is.

How did sheget scarred?

Wanna speculatein real estate?

Those nice gentsin suits, scam masters, connected brutes.

Chances areyou'll buy a farm. 

fast and withouta trace. 

Cops just shaketheir heads, not our business!

Absolutely, noalarm!

Wheelchairveteran, greasy matted hair

hangs on thecorner with his flag and cup.

Aint getting muchaction today.

Zoned out people,shuffle by 

no earthly reasonto look

 up.

What’s behindthose eyes?

And 2 blocksdown, an African guy in a turban

is preaching forJesus and redemption.

Handin' out soupkitchen chits and holy tracts.

but no body paysattention!

And yet, hekeeps on preaching.

In the park bythe old war monument,

currency andproduct change hands

Business schooldropouts, black market sharps

offer Chemdog andMexStar, top name brands

Screech of sirensas the cops 

blow down 53rdchasin'

some unholymaniac in a djellaba,

wielding a loadedcross bow

screamingsomething about justice!

We have to dosomething about those crossbows. Don’t you have to have a license for them

Air horns blow,air breaks grab.

Buses push ahead,cars backfire.

Are thosegunshots?H

Was That lastverse written by someone with Psd?

Hordes of peoplehurry down broken sidewalks.

Trying to getfrom here to there with minimal eye contact. 

What’s behindthose eyes?

Wafting smells ofItalian food cooking

mingle withscents of overflowing litter baskets. 

Just another dayin the city.

Where life is onthe cheep

and uptownplayers look so pretty.

Maybe not sopretty.

Down a filthyalley

spatter-dotpainted with trash and broken glass-

behind a dumpsterreeking from rotting restaurant scraps-

A gray, strayflea bitten tabby

tenderly suckles hernew born kittens.  

That was thetenderest thing yu said.

jamesstarfire at gmail.com

-----

The poem is good, especially  

in the use of alliteration.  There are a few words that I questioned . Thepoem has  a lot of descriptions thatdescribe the way I feel. 

hismusic.            

Ambiguity, Mentalhealth and Covid 19

C By Brad Corallo

Hi, I'm Brad andI am the Senior Rehab Counselor in a local not-for profit

agency. Part ofmy work is in our PROS mental health program. Pros means:

PersonalizedRecovery Oriented Services. This program assists folks with

varied issues todevelop the coping strategies and skills needed to

accomplish theirpersonal goals. The program has a mental health clinic

which providespsychiatry, and individual/ group therapy. I am 1 of 2

psychotherapists.

When Covid 19exploded on the scene, we were asked to provide "Tele-Care,

which involvessupportive daily telephone contacts.

As a professionalwith a visual impairment, I have been able to work from

home providingsupport and psychotherapy to 13 clients via telephone. All is

carefullydocumented. 

This enables meto not expose my self to possible infection by avoiding SCAT

to commute. Ihave been working this way for one month.

The hardest thingfor my clients to handle about this unique situation is

the lack of clearanswers as to how long Covid 19 will impact us all.

Unfortunately, nobody really knows. There is a theory that the greater the

ability to handleambiguity in life, the more mentally healthy a person is.

For many of myclients, ambiguity is the toughest thing. A lack of clear

answers causesincreased anxiety and frustration. So I am assisting my

clients to bettermanage both these feelings and the pandemic's reality.

Fortunately formany, it seems to be working.

For me, writinghas been helpful. I didn't plan to write about Covid 19. It

seemed too big anddevastating to inspire creativity. Well, after hearing

new lyrics by BobDylan "Murder Most Fowl", non- virus related, I wrote the

poem below. 

*** 

No Direction Home

Word count 49

Adrift, alone onoceans unknown

Surrounded,solely by sea and sky

Wide waters wail,wearily waiting

How do waters wail.

Uncharted,untraveled Unimagined uncertain 

Thousandthoughtful theories threaten

Absorbed, angry,alertly agitated 

Vast Vertiginous,viral vista

Foreseeable fate,fathomless fear\

Did you mean to use forseaable, or did you meanunforseeable.

though,relatively resolute, resigned and ready! 

Total documentword count: 501

jamesstarfire at gmail.com  

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Ambiguity, Mentalhealth and Covid 19-version for 4-30-20-Group 2, critique

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