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"Nowadays, you can't turn on the TV without some talking head telling you about the economy. Yet, in a world overrun by 'analysts,' only one man has the guts, the brains, and, quite frankly, the poetry to put it all in perspective.That man is Michael Silverstein... Silverstein is a true intellectual." — Gersh Kuntzman, The New York Post
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Angels, as intermediaries between those above and those below, have been a staple of pop culture since the Middle Ages. Back then they turned up mostly in painting and frescoes. Today, they mostly turn up in prime time G-rated television series and in paperbacks displayed in the New Age section of book stores.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, however, the medium of choice for angels was poetry. And since this era was largely a secular one, during which folks were disinclined to admit that not everything could be explained by Science, angels-in-verse tended most often to appear to people outside the European mainstream.
A well-known example of this genre is Leigh Hunt’s "Abou Ben Adhem." It opens with the killer lines:
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace...
The poem then goes on to chronicle how Abou is told by an angel that he is being omitted from a list of those who love God. He responds by asking if he can at least be listed as someone who loves his fellow man. And lo!, this simple act gets him on the A-list of God-loving people after all.
Hunt’s angel poem can thus be viewed as a primer on how to get on the good side of Higher Ups. My own updated version—keying off the current debate about tax cutting—has the same theme. It’s titled "Myron Ben Byron."Myron Ben Byron
Myron Ben Byron (may his pension vest!)
Awoke one dark night from a troubled rest,
And read, in a note sent via e-mail,
From a Congress pal never known to fail,
Report s ‘bout a tax break most distressing:—
Myron who never had trouble expressing
His honest thoughts where wealth was concerned,
Railed most wroth that his needs had been spurned,
That a tax break that could net him millions
Was being trashed by cost-cutting villains,
Then being a man whose instincts were sound
He asked: ‘What’s the cost to turn this around?’
His pal suggested a contribution,
A campaign gift, as the right solution,
And when the tax bill again saw the light,
Myron was pleased that they’d gotten it right.
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© 2007 Michael Silverstein
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