Milo Morris send this as a reply to my poem when I posted it on a Brokeback email list. I asked him if I could post it here because it was so wonderful, and he said: You Bet.
Who was that Unknown Man that caught Annie Proulx's eye? Is he the
Ennis that she wrote about? Is it possible that the story that he
inspired Proulx to write is actually his story? I think is is possible.
Proulx saw something in him...something profound that sparked an
emotional response in her that came back out to the world through her
creativity. We all see total strangers every day as go about our
lives. We see these people and we make assessments and assumptions
about them. Most people will use the most superficial factors when
they form their picture of who that stranger is. They focus on the
clothes, jewelry, shoes, hairstyle, body type, age, etc. But some
people can look deeper than that. Some people are sensitive and
attentive to physical mannerisms, the quality of the stranger's voice,
how they breathe, their level of tension or relaxation. All of these
can offer further clues as to what kind of person the stranger is, and
what s/he is thinking or feeling in that moment. But we can't really
know for sure, because few humans (if any) can read minds.
Now I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but I don't think its gonna snap.
As far as I'm concerned, Brokeback Mountain is a miracle. Its multiple
messages, lessons, and layers are nothing short of divine. And yes, I
mean that in a faith-based sense. I honestly believe that works like
this are given to us by the grace of God. And that the artists who
bring them to us are vessels of the Holy Spirit. I hope that doesn't
offend anyone, but y'all already know that I'm a Christian. There have
been many times in my life when the Spirit has spoken through me while
I was playing the piano or singing. There have also been times when a
message from the Spirit comes to me through someone else. One such
time was 5 years ago in NYC. I was at the Riverside Church waiting for
my turn to go audition for Opera Memphis. While standing in the
hallway, an old black minister came out of his office and locked the
door. He walked to the elevator and pressed the button, then he
stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me for a moment. He walked
right up to me and said, "Son, the Spirit of the Lord is on you." Then
he got on the elevator and was gone. I went into the audition, sang a
few arias, and was offered a role on the spot. It was the first "real
money" offer of my operatic career. Apparently the old man was right.
I tell that tale to illustrate the idea that the Spirit can illuminate
qualities or states of being that we--because of our limited
perception-- would not otherwise observe in others. And I think it is
possible that something like this might have happened when Proulx saw
that Unknown Man those 10 years ago. It is possible that the Spirit
showed her something of that Unknown Man's life so that she could
write his story, and in turn touch the hearts of those who read and
saw Brokeback Mountain.
I do not think that the Unknown Man happened into Proulx's field of
vision by accident. Not to presume to know the mind of God, but I have
to believe that all the pain and suffering of all the Jacks and
Ennises out there would not be in vain. Someone out there would
someday have to bring their collective story to the world at large so
that humanity could learn something more about compassion.
Peace,
Milo
Topic: Shakesthegrounds Rumblings (Read 2615522 times)