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Friday, April 13, 2012

A Disarticulated Head

Yesterday was all about Salome. One of my favorite Salomes is the lusty stepmother-witch in the musical The Robber Bridegroom, based on Eudora Welty's novella set in the Natchez Trace territory. This Salome conspires to kill her stepdaughter so she can have a handsome young suitor for herself.  Her name is pronounced to slant rhyme with baloney.

Welty's tale calls on various fairy tale versions but also the Cupid/Psyche myth and the real adventures of an awful bandit of the Trace, Little Harp.

And a character in the musical is Big Harp, Little Harp's bandit brother, who is a disarticulated head carried around in a suitcase!

Salome sings a song comparing Rosa-mund, the step-daughter, to a lilybud and herself to the "prickle pear bloom."  Thanks to Stan Shebs for this prickly pear (opuntia, a cactus) in bloom.

And, speaking of Rosamund, my trellis roses are beginning to pop!

Happy Friday the 13th!

5 comments:

  1. Kathleen, where can I how can I read more of your poetry? Coming to your blog from Pirene's fountain.

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  2. Leah, hello and thank you! Here at the blog you can click the titles under the heading "Links to My Work" to find a variety of poems published online!

    I will come check out your blogs, too!

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  3. I love how anything can become a musical now. I remember the Salome from the Bible, but I can't remember which story, maybe she was Delilah's mother, or the woman who asked for the head of John the Baptist?

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  4. Oh! I just found your last post about Salome! :-)

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Go ahead and comment, and I will publish it after I get an email notification! Thanks!