We'll come to that in a minute.
First, the serious stuff. In a Post on September 11th, entitled "On Modesty", they write:
“One of our old friends returned
to New York recently after spending time in Egypt and Turkey and
Israel and India. As it happens, she can pass for a native of any or
all of the above—in Egypt, Egyptians think at a glance that she’s
Egyptian, in Turkey a Turk, and so forth. And so, while travelers
from, say, Japan, or lighter-skinned, blonder-haired travelers from
the U.S., got a pass, what our friend got was a great deal of
unsolicited advice about what she shouldn’t do outdoors. Such as
exist, outside the company of a man.
In Egypt in particular it wasn’t
advice, it was exhortation: a woman in the street without a man by
her side—either father, brother or husband—is any man’s, to do
with as he will. And if she makes the mistake of dressing
provocatively to boot, she is taking her life in her hands. (How
many rapes per day are there in Cairo? Do you just want the official,
reported figure…? How shall we count gang rapes?)
Of course, there is more going on in
Cairo right now than attacks on women. But when the revolution passes
(and it will, they always do), the plight of women will remain. On
the “women’s car” on a train—and, my god, I could just stop
there, couldn’t I? that there even is such a thing, in 2013—on
the “women’s car” on a train, women covered from head to toe
stole curious, eager, wondering glances at the western women, the
ones who dared to wear short sleeves, and pants. But only glances,
only peeks, and then they returned to their covered-up existence.
Why do we go topless in the park at
the end of summer in the middle of New York City, where it is legal
and any woman may do so if she wishes?
That’s why.
That’s fucking why.”
No point in my adding anything, except possibly to say that when I visited Egypt in the 80s, it wasn't like that. Oh well.
****************************************
And now to The Rites Of Autumn - Topless Pulp Fiction-style.
Evidently the Ladies had a party to mark "A Wake For Summer" -
and marked the occasion with an Ode, no less -
“When morn in late September
sunlit dawns,
Presentiments of autumn nowhere seen,
Nor
wintry breezes, nor the touch of rain
That lately has
defiled so many days,
And in its stead the warm caress of
air
As temperate and all-embracing as
At summer’s
peak, but with a plangent strain
For well we know its like won’t
come again
For many months, we take ourselves
outdoors
And share with friends of vintage old and new
A
draft of vineyard’s fine fermented crop
And orchard’s too,
together with a feast
Unmatched in time’s remembrance;
yea, we glut
Ourselves on flavors fair and, fairer still,
The
gentle hand of Helios on our all-
Unburdened bodies;
... thus we meet
the end
Of summer’s season with defiant
mien.
You say tomorrow beckons, cold and drear,
And well you
might; but for today we play
In summer’s final bounty of
delight.”
Isn't that just darling? I'm sure we could find room for their poor, pale bodies here in the Land of Endless Summer....
See the rest of their Blog here.
See the rest of their Blog here.
