The Quarantine Chronicles, Day 91

DAY 91: La chiacchierata, that's a chat

about nothing in particular, less is more,

S.I. Hayakawa, my lousy university president

then lousy state senator, but a decent scholar

had a useful linguistic theory -- pre-symbolic language,

meaninglessness, words that don't stand

for anything, could just as well be grunts and

cooing, could be a language no one under-

stands, therefore we -- especially well-educated

white men over 50 -- stupidly maintain its

uselessness -- la chiacchierata doesn't serve

any communicative purpose, so we will not

participate -- Oh, but Hayakawa shows that

it does! The meaning behind meaningless

words is the most important of all --

community-building, relationship-building

-- I grunt and coo, I talk about what a shame

and where you been and did you see the game

-- I mean I like you maybe -- I want us

to be friends maybe -- even with neighbors

I don't like, even people I'd never choose ...

I must engage, in a chiacchierata, talking

from one balcony to another, from behind

masks or downstairs by the cars -- Italians

need this like air, they know that when

100,000 souls die and rise we'll need our

neighbors, even those with whom

we only ever talked with

about nothing at all

just to find the courage

to bear witness.