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Fool's Tales

Musings from a lifelong fool

Welcome to Thomas Atwood's blog! You'll find some food for thought here, including forays into cultural criticism, social justice, humor, arts, and the archetype of the fool.

Vulnerability

Hitler was smart. Wrote books. 45/47 not so much. Similarities, too... A new emperor, another traumatized soul, recycled images of hurt...

Thomas Atwood

Nov 8, 20241 min read

When Are You From?

“When are you from?” she asks, with bemused awareness of the deluge of gifts that will soon light up the Comments section. I am from One...

Thomas Atwood

Jul 17, 20242 min read

Impeachment, illusion, and the Godfather factor

A fool's perspective on the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Senate.

Thomas Atwood

Jan 28, 20206 min read

What's all this "Fool" stuff about, anyway?

The fool represents both the freedom to speak truth to power and the role of art in shifting human consciousness and culture.

Thomas Atwood

Jan 28, 20203 min read

The democracy of moss

An appeal to fellow white activists to break through their discomfort and build personal relationships with the so-called "underprivileged."

Thomas Atwood

Apr 27, 20198 min read

From the Surgeon's Table

“Why are you here, today?” the head nurse asks, with that bemused half smile that can’t conceal her awareness of her role in the play.

Thomas Atwood

Feb 5, 20113 min read

Ametric Elegy for R. D. Laing

Psychiatrists called you poet; Poets called you shrink. If you had presented a priest, Clergy might rush to call you shaman.

Thomas Atwood

Dec 17, 20052 min read

Millennia to Come

The Dog in the Manger is a fable attributed to Aesop, concerning a dog who one afternoon lay down to sleep in the manger.

Thomas Atwood

Nov 26, 20052 min read

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Alfonzo sings A Simple Song

My name is Thomas Atwood, and on April 7, 2018 I had the experience of a lifetime. My clown alter-ego, Alfonzo the Conjuring Fool, was blessed with the opportunity to sing A Simple Song from Leonard Bernstein’s Mass in memory of Kay Jorgensen, Co-Founder of the Faithful Fools Street Ministry in San Francisco. Kay had transitioned from this life on January 15, and the song was a tribute to Kay and her extraordinary ministry. A Simple Song was Kay’s personal favorite, so I wore a foolscap that once belonged to her. No longer able to call our beautiful annual dinner Oscard’s Feast (after Kay’s clown persona), the fools titled the event “Remembering Our Way Forward.” The assembled artists, choristers, poets, playwrights, actors, soloists, and justice advocates at the Unitarian Universalist Church of San Francisco (UUSF) truly delivered a night to remember. The gathered community of fools made it easy and fun for Alf. (At the Faithful Fools, heart wisdom, expression, and celebration are much more important than competition or celebrity.) Bill Ganz on piano and Cricket Rothrum on flute made it magical. The makeup artistry of Esmé Rodriguez—one of the greatest drag queens in this world or any other—manifested my inner clown as never before. Mark Sumner organized the music program with elegance and grace, and Hy Carrell juggled the logistical pieces as only a good stage manager can. As Meg Whitaker-Greene said in her clown persona, Entonces: “Kay is still walking that high tightrope, gazing down on us to see what we’ll all do next.” As Kay herself would often say, “There is plenty of work to be done before we can dissolve these illusory walls of separation.” So we set ourselves to the task of learning (and relearning) the art of falling down spectacularly and getting up with a smile. Of such is the work of fools and clowns everywhere. Requiesce in pace.

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Arts, Bernstein's Mass, Faithful Fools, Fools, Fools Mission, Leonard Bernstein

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