In the hopefully mock-egotistical spirit of David Foster Wallace reminding us (in A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments), on more than one occasion, that he is “an exceptionally good ping-pong player,” let me just remind you, dear reader, that I have forgotten more books on postmodernism than you’re ever likely to read 1I won’t go into the reasons for making this sad claim, except to sing a few bars of the Van Morrison/John Lee Hooker tune “Wasted Years” —and then also remind you that, after making his own over-the-top assertion, DFW then proceeds to tell……
A Jeremiad—Prologue in the Theatre
This sonnet sequence comes from my current work-in-progress, Take Your Guns to Town (a novel about a father and his two sons making their way through their day to a gun rights rally), and is written by ‘The Jeremy ΠtrMan’, motivational speaker and guru to one of the two sons, Joey, who has just arrived home after having participated in Jeremy’s annual convention, the Πtrthon, which culminates in a twelve-hour lecture (or ‘Jeremiad’) concerning the Jeremy’s Twelve Lessons—which may or may not resemble Jordan Peterson’s own 12 Rules, by the way, as I know nothing about the man or his work. This poem not only begins said lecture, it also acts as a handy TLDR of same.
