FEBRUARY 2023 VOLUME 120 #3
The Official Newspaper of Alfred University
FIAT LUX NEWS
Supporting Access to Free Press
WHAT’S INSIDE?
“Organic Alternative” with an Inorganic Secret
Page 2
Environmental Activist Takes Down Human Trafficker
Page 3
Endure and Survive: A Beloved Game Continues its Legacy
Page 5
On The Wheels of Tomorrow:
Time’s Message for Us Pages 6-7
“The Poem of Love” is Not Written for the Lovers
Page 8
“In reality, Thinx Underwear contains harmful chemicals ...
which are a safety hazard to the female body and the envi- ronment.”
“Tate wore a dressing robe with a cigar in hand and pizza boxes by his side. Little did he know as he continued to attack Thunberg those pizza boxes would lead to his arrest.”
“This unexpected turn, which again is only comprehensible through the bonus tracks, reveals the true underlying mes- sage of the album: that time is unstoppable”
FEBRUARY 2023 NEWS
In a world where women’s bodily autonomy is a constant topic of politi- cal debate, access to feminine hygiene products is pricey and sometimes even completely unattainable, it has become glaringly obvious that repro- ductive health is under great threat.
This point was proven once again in January 2023 with the announcement of a class action lawsuit against period underwear company Thinx, citing dangerous levels of toxic chemicals in their products.
The brand touted as an organic and sustainable alternative meant to
“absorb period worries” was launched in 2013, quickly being distributed through many common retailers such as Walmart, CVS, and Target. The company fell under intense scrutiny late last year as testing of their prod- uct through a third-party laboratory revealed the presence of PFAS, a man- made chemical known to cause birth
defects and reproductive harm.
The lawsuit, Dickens v. Thinx, Inc. fi led in May of last year states
“Through its uniform, widespread, nationwide advertising campaign, [Thinx] has led consumers to believe that Thinx Underwear is a safe, healthy and sustainable choice for women and that it is free of harmful chemicals,”
and “In reality, Thinx Underwear con- tains harmful chemicals ... which are a safety hazard to the female body and the environment.”
The company has agreed to a fi ve million dollar settlement but claims this action was not an admission of guilt with one spokesperson stating in an email to NPR that “We take custom- er health and product safety seriously,”
and “We can confi rm that PFAS have never been part of our product design.
We will continue to take measures to help ensure that PFAS are not added to our products.”
As a follow-up to the lawsuit, any- one who bought Thinx underwear between Nov. 12, 2016, and Nov. 28, 2022, can submit a claim online before mid-April to receive a cash reimbursement.
Ultimately, though the company has made explicitly clear the inclusion of these chemicals in their products was unintentional and will be carefully avoided in the future, the whole ordeal has left consumers wondering just what brands they can trust.
“Organic Alternative” With an Inorganic Secret
Jo Castine, Copy Editor
“This Month in AU History” is for January
3 OPINION
I’ve been wanting to study abroad for years. It was one of the only rea- sons I wanted to go to college. Now that I’m actually here, it feels different than what I expected. It’s hard to get settled in a new room, a new coun- try, a new school. I’ve only been here for about four days, although I slept completely through the first day. The Global Ambassadors at Ulster Univer- sity assume that us students should be getting settled by now, but I don’t think I will be fully settled for another few weeks.
My plane ride from Newark to London went well. It was at night, but I couldn’t sleep. I then had a four hour layover in London and one more flight to Belfast, which was only about an hour. I paid for a meet and greet ser- vice through my University and didn’t know what to expect. The meet and greet service was a couple Global Am- bassadors who called a cab for us to take to our accommodation. Another girl on my flight had the same accom- modation as me, so we shared a cab.
This was my first friend I made here.
Sunday, the 22nd, was my first full day in Belfast. My sleep schedule was already messed up, and I slept all day.
Monday was the first day of the week-long International Orientation. It was an extremely stressful day for me.
I was having lots of technical problems
that couldn’t be solved right away. I didn’t really know anybody except for the girl I shared a cab with and I didn’t see her at all that day. I felt very alone and anxious. I went back to my room early to escape all of the stress I was feeling. I had a long phone conversa- tion with my mom and she helped me work through it. I also worked through
a lot of my technical problems on my own, which relieved my stress a little bit.
Tuesday was a much better day.
I had made a plan for myself for the whole day: Get food at a local res- taurant, go to the grocery store, and shop for art supplies. I decided to do the library tour at my University even
though I really didn’t want to. When I went up to the library, I saw the girl I shared a cab with and said, “Hi.” She introduced me to a ton of other inter- national students and five of us went to get lunch. It was so great to actu- ally meet new people and get their numbers. Tuesday night, all of us went to a University-led pizza night where we played card games and hung out.
After that we went to get drinks at one of the local pubs until eleven. It was so fun and such a relief from Monday.
Today is Wednesday and a lot of the international students are going to an ice hockey game but I decided not to.
I think I’ll explore my accommodation, which I haven’t done yet. There’s lots of restaurants and walking paths by the water that I want to go see.
Although I feel less stressed now, I found out that I’m registered for the wrong classes. The people I’ve been emailing back and forth have been very kind and helpful about my situa- tion. I hope it gets resolved soon.
All in all, a lot has happened in the past few days, and it still hasn’t really hit me that I’m abroad. I’m hoping I’ll realize that I’m where I’ve been want- ing to be for a long time.
My Study Abroad Experience in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Piper Lilley , Staff Photographer
On December 27th Andrew Tate made a post on twitter bragging about his cars directed at environmen- tal activist Greta Thunberg. Tate writes,“please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car col- lection and their respective enormous emissions”.
Thunberg, most well known for her speech in 2019 calling on world lead- ers to act on climate change, replied to Tate’s tweet with no remorse. She strikes back saying “Yes, please do en- lighten me. Email me at smalldickener- [email protected]”. With a clever hard- hitting burn from Thunberg Tate’s fragile masculinity was challenged.
Due to his embarrassment ten hours later, Tate replied with a video trying to display his wealth and
“dominant masculinity”. In this video showcasing his massive ego, Tate wore a dressing robe with a cigar in hand and pizza boxes by his side. Little did he know as he continued to attack Thunberg those pizza boxes would lead to his arrest.
Andrew Tate is a misogynistic entre- preneur with a major presence online.
He has charges of rape and domestic violence while being suspected of hu- man trafficking. Although Tate denies these allegations authorities stayed on the search for him. Once this video was posted not only did it attract attention on Tate it also confirmed his location to the police due to the Romanian brand pizza box.
On December 30th authorities ar- rested Tate and his brother Tristan on the basses of multiple horrendous sex trafficking allegations. Due to the risk of them avoiding investigation their arrest was extended from 24 hours to 30 days. Tate made four different appeals to this extension however all were rejected by judge and jury.
Along with the Tate brothers two more people were brought into custody. DII- COT, Romanian anti-organized crime agency, investigated and believe these brothers and the others arrested belong to an organized crime group of human traffickers.
Tate has taunted the Romanian authority on social media in the past.
While in custody he continued this attitude of disrespect and delusional invincibility. Although it is not con- firmed, as a possible response to this taunting the Romanian authority released Tate’s text messages. In these messages Tate’s process of luring women then manipulating them is seen with multiple victims.
Six people have been identified as victims of human trafficking by this organization. DIICOT discovered these victims’ endured coercion and vio- lence as they were forced into sexual acts. One of these acts being pornog- raphy that the crime organization may have profited off of.
Authorities have taken 15 luxurious cars, as Tate boasted about earlier, and 10 properties. The money from these assets will be used in funding the investigation and damages of victims.
Prosecutors now are investigating ways to prove Tate and others made money from human trafficking.
On the morning of the 30th Thun- berg tweeted “that’s what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes”. The witty teen activist may not have meant to but she has possibly brought an end to Andrew Tate. For years now not only has Tate spread misogynistic ideology on the inter- net breeding more misogynists, he has also gotten away with avoiding investigation of terrible allegations.
Greta Thunberg fights not only for the planet but against sexist manipulators such as Tate.
Environmental Activist Takes Down Human Trafficker
Claire Squicciarini, Staff Writer
The view of the Belfast Lough from Lilley’s residence
FEBRUARY 2023 SEASONAL
Hi! My name is Alina, I’m a first-year student from Ukraine. I have never been to the USA before, not to men- tion that university is a new stage of life for every student, so I got it all in 2022. I want to share some insights from my experience and say goodbye to the first page of my university life.
Playing Sports
My first year started with tennis.
Our coaches, Jordan Crouch and Tori Pellegrino, and both tennis teams helped me to adapt to my new sur- roundings, and I can confidently call every single person a friend. Staring at an empty room in Tefft in August, I realized I was totally unprepared to live by myself. Thanks to my team, I gained a lot of knowledge and expe- rience, which I value more than any- thing else. As most tennis players are upperclassmen, I had an upper hand with university, sports, dining halls, and anything needed. In addition to everything above - I combined my favorite sport and academics. We reached Empire 8 playoffs and have more power for the next season. And
I am excited to support the men’s team in the spring!
Finding the Right People
As an international student, I met many people from all over the world in our first week. We helped each other to get used to the culture, buy necessities, and explore the USA. The six-week series was fun and bonded us even more. Even though I was still playing tennis and attended only two trips (Niagara Falls and the farm), I can confidently say they were the best ones. And a special shout-out to our exchange students, Sid, Marta, Xènia, and Lulwa, who spent only one semester at Alfred, but created so many memories. We love you guys!
Clubs on Campus
After the season, I got involved in a bunch of clubs. As a part of the col- lege of business, the marketing club was among the first organizations I joined. We hosted a lot of events and fundraisers and had a lot of fun.
in the process. I also spent half of my time in the media lab - a shared
space of AU TV, Fiat Lux News, and WALF, located on the first floor of Powell. I joined FLN and WALF where we started brainstorming ideas and renovating the space. And now we are planning a podcast to interview students and faculty, so if you are interested in doing something similar or participating as a guest - reach us on our Instagram page @au_walf89.7 or email us at [email protected].
Time Management
I am double majoring in business administration and music, so I have a schedule full of classes, practices, clubs, and social occasions. It sound- ed like a lot last semester, but mi- raculously I am managing to juggle everything successfully. I mainly used Google Calendar, which I found to be super easy and helped me be pro- ductive. I love testing different apps and techniques, and I hope to cover my discoveries in the next issue.
Next Semester
Sitting on the plane to Rochester and writing this article, I know I am
ready to start a new episode of col- lege life. I am excited to study more about the music and business indus- tries and try to balance my sleeping schedule. As a Co-President of a newly created Global Studies club, I have a lot of projects in mind. Our club wants to contribute to Alfred’s fun and thrilling environment this year. You better keep an eye out for updates!
How was your semester? And how is New Year going so far? DM me @ momentsource with any questions or concerns!
Instagram pages to follow:
@fiatluxnews - Fiat Lux News
@au_walf89.7 - WALF radio station
@auglobalstudies - Global Studies Club
@alfreduama - Alfred Marketing Asso- ciation
First Semester at Alfred University
Alina Zabihailo
, Staff Writer
5 ENTERTAINMENT
Endure and Survive: A Beloved Game Continues its Legacy
Sam Sage, Editor in Chief
The Last of Us premiered on HBO and HBO Max on January 15th. Based on the critically acclaimed video game, the show follows the main characters Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal, The Mandalo- rian) and Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey, Game of Thrones) as they find their way from a quarantine zone in Boston, Massachusetts to a hospital on the West coast in an attempt to find the Fireflies, an organization looking for a cure to the devastating cordyceps virus.
The pilot, a quick-paced hour and twenty minutes introduces viewers to the world on the day of infection in 2003 and picks them back up twenty years later in a society trying to sur- vive. While quite faithful to the video game source material, original creator Neil Druckmann and show co-creator Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) take liberties to ensure that the story is as grounded and entertaining as possible for fans of the game and new fans of the show.
When the show was announced over two years ago, audiences had two major questions: How would this show stack up to the beloved 2013 video game, and will a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested show survive in a world where the genre has been left in the dust?
What sets The Last of Us apart from its apocalyptic predecessors like The Walking Dead is its immediate desire to teach the viewer how likely it is for this apocalypse to occur. The spread of the cordyceps fungus is a haunting evolution, with climate change as a backing argument as to how it made the jump from ants to humans.
Fans of the game were surprised to learn that the telltale spores that made the game a more claustrophobic and surreal experience would be replaced by tendrils in the show. The idea is not new to Naughty Dog, the develop- ers behind the video game, who had played around with the idea of tendrils as an alternate way to spreading the fungus. As those who lived during the Covid-19 pandemic can attest, spores would make transmission easy and in- fection unavoidable, hence Druckman and Mazin’s decision to change it to the more physical tendrils--extremities of the cordyceps that take anywhere from 5 minutes to 24 hours to spread depending on the site of infection. The transmission is thus more visible and yet invisible, lending itself to alternate ways of storytelling and tension within
the world. Viewers were also treated to the
familial chemistry between Pascal and Ramsey, both on and off screen. Press tours to raise awareness for The Last of Us found many audience members and interviewers alike in love with the banter and affection that Pascal and Ramsey expressed to each other.
This led many fans to be hopeful of how Joel and Ellie would interact on-screen. The duo is central to the story, and they represent many fans’
favorite characters both in the original game and in The Last of Us Part II which came out in 2020. If they didn’t have chemistry, the show simply wouldn’t work. Pascal and Ramsey were filling in large shoes, left by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, respectively, who had been the original voices and motion capture of Joel and Ellie in the video games. However, Pascal and Ramsey were quick to dispel any worries. Many viewers found themselves entranced by the complexities of Pascal’s rough yet loyal Joel and Ramsey’s sardonic yet endearing Ellie. Heavily praised for their performances, it makes fans’ pre- showing anxieties seem ridiculous.
By the time this article has been submitted for publishing, viewers will have seen three episodes of the show’s total nine. Critics of the show have much to say, from raving about the casting to the plot, with Holly- wood staples such as Rotten Tomatoes giving the show a 97% critics rating and a 96% audience rating. One could safely say that fans are pleased with The Last of Us as a whole. Fans of the game, entering into January, took to social media platforms like TikTok to show their The Last of Us pride and excitement. Following the pilot, a rush of appreciation flooded social media. Fans tagging Pascal, Ramsey, Druckmann, and Mazin in reviews and cosplays showed that the fanbase for a 10 year old game was not going anywhere--and that they were ready for the long, hard journey ahead.
From his Instagram on January 16th, creator Neil Druckmann posted,
“Thank you for all the kind words. We read everything!”
Above: A promotional poster for the HBO show depicting Pascal and Ramsey as Joel and Ellie
Below: Joel and Ellie as shown in the 2022 remastered The Last of Us Part I video game
FEBRUARY 2023 ENTERTAINMENT
On the Wheels of Tomorrow: Time’s Message for Us Part 1
Monica Nowik, Staff Writer
Many readers are probably fa- miliar with Electric Light Orchestra, more commonly known as ELO, and the band’s leader and main song- writer Jeff Lynne. Even if those names sound only vaguely familiar, most of Gen Z would recognize the song“Mr. Blue Sky,” featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. II (2017). ELO has a unique sound that draws inspiration from earlier rock ‘n’ roll bands like the Beatles; their style mixes synthesized rock/pop and classical music, creat- ing a discography that’s simultane- ously diverse and unified, and their music continues to enjoy successful streaming on top apps like Spotify (what, they weren’t in anyone’s else’s Top 5 Artists last year?).
The double album Out of the Blue (1977), their most commercially successful album, might be the one most familiar to 2023 listeners—after all, “Mr. Blue Sky” is off that album.
It’s a great piece of art, no doubt, but there’s another album I’d like to call your attention to, one that often gets swept under the rug (although it broke out on top of UK Albums Chart in its prime). Time (1981) can best be described as an epic space opera about a man who has been trans- ported from 1981 to the year 2095, thrown into a strange futuristic world
that he cannot return from. He feels cheated out of the reality he should have had back in his present, where he has left his lover behind, and it is to her that many of the songs are addressed. The story that Time tells is concise and vivid, complete with an emotional arc, and it’s my personal belief that the songs, although excel- lent on their own, are enjoyed best within the context of the album to understand the story at play.
The album opens with “Prologue,”
a flurry of odd synthesized sounds.
A distorted voice, distinctly different from any other voice we hear on the album, proclaims: “I have a mes- sage from another time.” Is the voice speaking to us, the audience, who
“tread the halls of sanity” and are “un- able to go beyond,” or to the man, who presumably may be dreaming, warning him of the world that is “just beyond the border of [his] waking mind”? Both? With this strange open- ing to set the tone, the second track,
“Twilight,” is from the perspective of the man; he feels out of control and swept up by whatever force took him there: “With your head held high and your scarlet lies / You came down to me from the open skies.” The speaker muses that he “only meant to stay awhile,” as if he did choose this
adventure, even if it’s all a “dream,”
but suddenly realizes that his return to his own time is uncertain, perhaps impossible. “You brought me here, but can you take me back again?”
“Twilight” blends into the next track, “Yours Truly, 2095.” In the future, the man encounters a kind of robot or android woman who looks similar in appearance to his 1981 lover but is cold and emotionless in comparison. He misses his lover too much to become seduced by the future (“I don’t know where you are / But I miss you so much till then”).
The man doesn’t deny that he finds the woman attractive—“She tells me that she likes me very much / But when I try to touch / She makes it all too clear”—but she’s an uncanny val- ley of a person, an empty shell with a
“heart of stone.” The woman asks (in a voice eerily reminiscent of Siri 30 years before its release), “Is that what you want?” over and over again. Even though the man is enticed by the future, this new world is not really what he wants.
Following this is “Ticket to the Moon,” where the man is on a “one- way” trip to the moon, an experience he knows he should be happy about, but he’d rather be back with his lover in 1981 (“Yeah, I’ve got a ticket to the
moon / But I’d rather see the sunrise in your eyes”). This shows a begrudg- ing acceptance of the speaker’s fate, one he feels he is partially respon- sible for: “I paid the fare, what more can I say?” It’s almost like he has no choice but to keep heading deeper into the future. This melancholic acceptance continues into “The Way Life’s Meant to Be,” which depicts the man wandering through the same streets of his hometown that he once knew so well, but now have been forever changed by time. “As I gaze around at these strangers in town / I guess the only stranger is me.” The man experiences a strange discom- fort in the defamiliarized environ- ment: “And when I see what they’ve done to this place that was home / Shame is all that I feel.” He’s accepted his place in the future, knowing that there is no way to change it as he says, “Too late, too late to cry, the people say,” but he resents this fate.
The people of the future call out to him, “Look and see the wonders of our world,” yet the speaker still can- not be swayed, reminiscing about 1981 and dreaming of his lover, “Just to see your face instead of this place.”
“This still from Blade Runner (1982) shows that the late 20th century was a time of both excitement and fear about the future.”
7 ENTERTAINMENT
“Another Heart Breaks” follows, a mostly instrumental track with
“Another heart breaks” being the only words spoken with the sound of a heartbeat fl atlining towards the be- ginning. In physical record form, this is the last track on Side One, symbol- izing a change in the man’s mental- ity. In “Rain is Falling,” beginning on Side Two, the man almost seems to develop a bitter and resentful tone.
He’s not merely sad anymore; he’s almost apathetic about his situation as he watches the rain, as if it were an ordinary day in 1981: “Nothing’s really changed.” The song is interspersed with nursery rhymes like “Rain, rain, go away” and “It’s raining, it’s pour- ing, the old man is snoring.” “But with all their great inventions / And all their good intentions, here I stay,”
the speaker states. Even though the future is full of wonder and innova- tion, the one thing it can’t do is bring him back home; therefore, it’s useless to him.
“From the End of the World” solidi- fi es the change in mood. Up until this point, the speaker has felt wonder, sadness, regret, and resentful bitter- ness about his situation, but here, he becomes cynical. Speaking to his lover, who is now only a memory, he criticizes her: “Oh, you, you’re so hard to get to / Oh, you, you don’t wanna play.” He “sent a dream last night”
to her, or a letter, from the future, but whatever attempts he’s made at getting in contact with his lover, in dreams or otherwise, it’s not work- ing. She cannot answer him, and does not know where he is, but somehow, he feels led on and abandoned by her: “Oh, you, you keep me hangin’ /
‘Round and ‘round and ‘round and
‘round.” The anger feels less directed at his true lover, but at his desire to see her, and how that desire falls fl at in the face of reality. The singer’s voice disappears into a synthesizer on the last word, perhaps representing the man’s integration into the future.
“The Lights Go Down” may be thought of as the man’s fi nal love let
ter to the past, either to his lover or to 1981 itself. “I know the way that I feel is wrong, so wrong / But I gotta carry on / When you ain’t around.” The tone shift is sudden, as if the man has been trying to pretend through the last two tracks that he doesn’t care anymore, but now it’s all too clear that he’s still hurting, asserting “I need you” and
“I love you, baby.” “Time rolls away,”
though, and there’s nothing he can do.
“Here is the News” moves to elimi- nate the man’s personal voice and takes on the format of a futuristic newscast about regular meteor show- ers, a cure for “rocket lag” (as opposed to our contemporary jet lag), and the newsfl ash that “someone left their life behind in a plastic bag.” Still, the rem- nants of the man’s voice remain with the line “I wanna go home, I want my baby back.” The next track, “21st Cen- tury Man,” completely becomes the voices of the future. They try to per
suade the man that since he is now a 21st century man, he can do “most anything;” they fail to understand why he isn’t happy with the future.
“Though you ride on the wheels of to- morrow / You still wander the fi elds of your sorrow,” they observe, and insist that he should be happy and glad.
“Hold On Tight,” the penultimate track, comes as an unexpectedly up- beat and cheery song in comparison to the events of the album.
Whether these are the voices of the future, telling the man to keep his chin up, or the voices of the past, as- suring him that there is still hope, we aren’t sure:“When you see your ship go sailing / When you feel your heart is breaking / Hold on tight to your dream.
” The man’s “dream” can only be to return home—so, even though a round-trip to the future is supposedly impossible, could it be that he can go back to 1981?
The album itself, as originally re- leased, doesn’t seem to have a defi ni- tive answer to this. It ends, somewhat abruptly, with the epilogue, repeating words from “21st Century Man” and, mysteriously, the phrase, “And he ar- rives on this day of all days / May the world still remember him.” Is this the man waking up from his dream?
There is no catharsis for this question unless we look at the three bonus tracks which were released on the 2001 remaster of the album. “The Bouncer” clearly shows the man on the verge of returning home, ecstatic to see his lover, “Do you remember, you said to me / That you would wait, wait for me eternally?” The second bonus track, “When Time Stood Still,”
seems to portray the man’s journey backwards; he enters a sort of a limbo, with “No big machine or April showers / No submarines, no plastic fl owers;”
in other words, nothing. The tragic end to the story is in the fi nal bonus track, “Julie Don’t Live Here.” He goes to his lover’s house only to fi nd that everything has changed since he’s been gone and she has since moved away, presumably moving on with her life and leaving him behind. “But things have changed / Everything I ever knew / Was gone or rearranged.”
It seems like it would have been better had he stayed in the future after all; how he will deal with this loss is not the point of the story. This unexpected turn, which again is only comprehensible through the bonus tracks, reveals the true underlying message of the album: that time is unstoppable, even with the power of technology, and that things cannot go back to the way they were no matter how hard you try. In 1981, fear of the future and new technology, as well as the fear of losing what once was, were both very prevalent. Those fears have been the same throughout hu- man history, and we continue to have them today. But time doesn’t stop. Are we brave enough to accept change?
On the Wheels of Tomorrow: Time’s Message for Us Part 2
Monica Nowik, Staff Writer
FEBRUARY 2023 SEASONAL
“The Poem of Love” is Not Written for the Lovers
Hiliana Arroyo, Guest Writer I love “The Poem of Love”
by Lisel Mueller because of the perspective it adds to the many definitions of love! This piece changes perspectives and adds concrete experi- ences to abstract concepts.
I recommend for everyone to truly read and submerge themselves in this wonderful poem.
The Poem Of Love By Lisel Mueller
Not about her, who turns dancer
in the space he illumines by waiting,
not about his leaping impa- tience
which praises the dust of her lightness—
but about the contender, the brilliant third,
who trips them and drives them away
to watch him from separate wings:
Not about words fetched and carried
like fruit from one to the other,
not about moments that gush from unorthodox light and settle into the land- scape—
but about words that the wind bites off,
moments burned out in ex- pectation,
arriving piecemeal, dead:
Not about night and the bridge
it stretches from runner to runner,
not about sexual grace—
but about the [narrow open-
ing] between lovers,
wide enough for the swallow that whistles goodbye
to shiver into and wait out the storm
of their forgetful embracing:
If about love at all,
then about love in another country
or love imagine to music—- more often about things missing or broken,
the boomerang of desire, the heart’s despair,
the shakedown after this spell.
It is not written by lovers.
Poem originally published in Poetry (sponsored by the Poetry Foundation) in March 1964.
“Romance is a flaw in the brain.
Some missed connection in our evolution to make us think that everybody ought to romance everybody.”
“You’re drunk, Simmons.”
“Maybe! But my point still stands, man.”
“Then what about marriage?
Or copulation? Fundamental events in our lives that happen without a hitch.”
“Now, see, marriage is a man- made institution. You don’t see marriage occurring between a-a h-hippo and a giraffe, now do you? It’s unnatural to bear a ring on your finger, just as it is for some old geezer to pronounce
you and some woman til death do you part.”
“But sex, old man. Surely that exists in nature, too?”
“Oh, most certainly. But it’s a thing of mindless necessity.
There’s no romance in sex, in some ways. Man forced it to be intimate so he could excuse it for the woman, and vice versa!”
“You’re telling me you will, and may never, exercise your right to have at it with a woman?”
“God, no! It’s exercise, surely, but so is kicking or tossing a ball to a fellow on a field.”
“You’re so dim, Simmons. Hav- ing intercourse is the main drive of your fellow man. Surely it’s
yours, too?”
“Hark, again, as I proclaim,
‘God, no!’ Why should I be brought down to such a level when I could ascend to a life without having to worry about whether or not I’ll have some- thing for posterity. No, no. While I assure you, good fellows, that I’m just alright with the lot of you going at it like a bunch of rabbits, I will not be taking part in that, as you so say, sacred ritual.”
“But what’s that got to do with your thesis, Simmons? Romance is a flaw in the brain?”
“Fat load of nothing. If noth- ing is meant to be read as con- ditioned feelings of societal
normalcy. From birth, we were told we ought to have children and get married. Leaving no breathing room for those of us that would much rather go our own way and not have to have so many coat rack hooks onto our last names.”
Dialogue from an Unwritten Story
Anonymous Student Submission
9 SEASONAL
FEBRUARY 2023 ART
Credit
Jason Crocker, Staff Photographer
Credit
Jason Crocker, Staff Photographer
Credit
Jo Castine, Staff Writer.
Acrylic on watercolor paper
11 ART
Credit
Janet Chapman-Scagnelli, Guest Submission
Credit
Jason Crocker, Staff Photographer
FIAT LUX NEWS
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Editor-in-Chief: Samantha Sage
Social Media Managers: Monica Nowik
Noelle Stratman
Copy Editors: Jo Castine Ashton Julian
Staff Photographers: Piper Lilley Jason Crocker
Staff Writers:
Alina Zabihailo
Claire Squicciarini
WANT TO JOIN THE FIAT LUX NEWS TEAM?
Positions for staff writers, photographers, editors, and more are available.
Email us at aufi [email protected] with questions or come to our weekly meetings on Fridays at 5:30pm in the Prunty-Russo Media Lab, Powell Campus Center to get involved.
Submissions to the FLN should be emailed to aufi [email protected] as attachments.
For articles, attach a word document or use the “insert fi les from drive” option in your gmail to attach a Google document. Name all fi les as “Your Name - File Name”. Please include your name and submission title in all submitted documents. Photos should be attached to emails
and submitted as high resolution JPEGs or PNGs.
Make sure to include who took the photograph or where the photograph came from.
Front Cover Credit: Jason Crocker
