Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Streets Of Philadelphia


Ten years ago, my dear friend, Hank D. Ballenger, pen name Dr. E. Amer died in a hospital room in Philadelphia. Unlike those old Medical Alert commercials, he'd fallen and he did get up, just not for very long. Felled by black ice and a banana or orange peel (his poor sight made it impossible to identify the evil object), he carried for a few days with a leg broken in several places. This happened despite his reassurances to me that a fall would never hurt him. He wrote this in a letter a couple of years before the fall. Could he have known on some level? It seemed to me from a very young age he always knew everything.

At least he knew a lot of stuff before I did. He was always ahead of the curve, telling everyone about the latest writer, music, or newest gadget. He could quote reams of poetry. He held diverse social groups together. He played guitar and practiced Akido. He even fenced. While I spent hours listening to Simon and Garfunkel's "Richard Corey" in a vain attempt to pull depth from the lyrics, Hank translated the Ovid. Effortlessly cool in the way that people who don't give a shit about being cool or how others see them, he had a wicked sense of humor. Did he have flaws? The dead often don't. Hank did. He had many of what he referred to as "blind spots." When a blind man tells you about his blind spots, it's both funny and true. At this point, Hank himself would instruct the readers to do self-service humor and make up their own jokes. He loved the wrong women or the right women at the wrong time. He had a temper, a righteous anger, and could hold a grudge longer than the IRA. He ate too many meals that were listed under the scary words, Value Menu.

But these flaws were ever so minor. Ten years after his death, he still remains my Virgil, leading me through this crazy, beautiful, difficult world. Especially during dark times, I look to Hank for a sign of how to proceed. Hank would laugh at this tendency and say, You're counting on a blind man to lead you through darkness? But yes, I am. Who better to know what to expect?

Michelle's Spell of the Day
"I seldom recognize an opportunity until it has ceased to be one." Mark Twain

Cocktail Hour
Documentary suggestion: Dig

Benedictions and Maledictions
Happy Tuesday!

6 comments:

the walking man said...

Michelle over the intervening years of you telling us of Hank D. Ballenger, you have shown us, made him live for us and in that you have kept him alive to a far wider circle of friends than he could have acquired on his own.

He probably would have mocked you (jokingly) for letting us know him but for that I for one at least am grateful that you have over time shared him with us .

Find peace and humor today, that I think is what he would have wanted you to do.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Michelle. Missing my brother so much. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who depends on a blind man to guide me through this dark place called life. Love you girl!

Andy said...

At night I could hear the blood in my veins
Black and whispering as the rain
On the streets of Philadelphia

Tikilee said...

"He loved the wrong women or the right women at the wrong time"

"Could hold a grudge longer than the IRA"

Great descriptions!

I to remember your fond recollections you shared in class. I can think of no better tribute.

Anonymous said...

I ate off the value meal when I was selling furs in Manhattan. I never gave up hope of getting into advertising, though. Thanks for being such a great fan of the show! See you at the end of March!--D. Draper

Anonymous said...

I ate off the value menu when I sold furs in Manhattan. I never gave up hope of getting into advertising, though. Thanks for being such a great fan of the show! See you at the end of March!--D. Draper