By Ken Marks[Opening from the original on The Scratching Post, September 24, 2022, published here by permission of the author.]
My feelings about the late queen are complicated. They’re vaguely tranquil with an admixture of fatigue. I struggle to think of anyone who’s made a similar impression on me, and only a few are close.
One was Frida, a cashier at the cafeteria of a place where I once worked. She took our money with robotic speed. No matter that her queue was the longest; it was always served fastest. As her hands flew, she nevertheless took time for a “How are you today?” I always replied with something like, “Two ticks from suicidal.” She would invariably break stride and commiserate until I showed my readiness to move on. She loved an opportunity for small talk, and it was always good-hearted small talk.
Queen Betsy also had a good heart, or so I believe. She cared deeply about her family, especially if they were blood relatives. She loved animals. If you were a dog or a horse, you were treated with special regard. She was very engaging with titled people and heads of state. I can’t recall a single misstep, even with impossible boors like Charles de Gaulle, Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson, and Donald Trump. But she assiduously avoided any conversation that touched on policy and never revealed a point of view on any issue of consequence. Her raison d’etre was to preserve the notion that the Royal Family was the rock upon which the greatness and goodness of British civilization rested.
Given all that, let’s fantasize by appropriating a well-worn Hollywood concept .... Suppose, as the result of some cosmic burp, Frida and Betsy undergo a personality swap....
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[Read the whole thing on The Scratching Post.]
| Copyright © 2022 by Ken Marks Ken Marks was a contributing editor with Paul Clark & Tom Lowe when “Moristotle” became “Moristotle & Co.” A brilliant photographer, witty conversationalist, and elegant writer, Ken contributed photographs, essays, and commentaries from mid-2008 through 2012. Late in 2013, Ken birthed the blog The Scratching Post. He also posts albums of his photos on Flickr. |
As a devoted reader of everything Ken Marks scratches, I told him on his own site, “ Bravo, hear, hear!”
ReplyDeleteYou might want to read the numerous comments that have been made about this posting on his site. For example:
“Who cares and what does it matter? The Queen is dead and Charles is struggling to define a meaningful role. And to prune some overhead while maintaining the family. He seems much more tolerant and affectionate than the Queen. [Your] suggestions are politically charged and not in his purview. National artifacts and art. The Commonwealth. Not his job. Leave the poor man alone.”