Whose Day Is It Anyway?
Whose Day Is It Anyway?
(September 21, 2011)
Diane di Prima
Poet Diana di Prima offers alternative Italian-American heroes to Columbus.
“Whose Day Is It, Anyway?”
The Poet Mulls over Some of the Choices
Sacco and Vanzetti Day!
Sacco and Vanzetti Day.
Frank Capra of Happy Endings & Leftist Leanings Day!
That’s one we could use.
That’s one we could use.
Il Giorno di Martino Scorsese.
Il Giorno di Tomaso Centolella
Tutti giorni sono giorni di Sacco e Vanzetti
Il Giorno di Tomaso Centolella
Tutti giorni sono giorni di Sacco e Vanzetti
“It was a good fight
I was in good condition
Hello, Ma”
I was in good condition
Hello, Ma”
(I got your autograph at a grocery store on Spring St)
Back in the Day
It was Connie Francis Day
It was Connie Francis Day
Then a few years later it was
Julie Bovasso Day
Julie doing “The Maids”
in a tiny downtown theatre,
turning gender & theatre around/1952
Whose day is it anyway?
Maybe we could rename it
every year–
Maybe we could rename it
every year–
Then maybe today would be
Tony La Russa Day?
Tony La Russa Day?
Carpe Diem, Tony!
You never know, you know?
(or whatever that name was he said
week after week
I never figured it out–)
Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash
wherever you are”
I never figured it out–)
Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash
wherever you are”
And the grown-ups would turn off the radio
and we’d go to bed
and we’d go to bed
You choose
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Who to name
Sister Blandina Segale who met up with gunslingers and cowboys in the wild west! Too bad the infamous Cabrini Greens in Chicago were named for her.
Great Post
Great Post I am sooooo tired of the Columbus thing. Every year the Italian Americans in my town go crazy about Columbus. The rest of the year - nobody to talk about. Not to mention that they are all southern Italian and he was northern - and all the goes with that.
What's worng with that?
Yeah, tell me about it...freedom of speech sucks doesn't it?
What's wrong with southerns cheering from a northern guy? It's a great example of full-Italian (from the Alps to Lampedusa) pride.
Jeez, stay home, go camping, eat some kielbasa...trust me compare you'll feel much better.
Columbus Day as an Italian
Columbus Day as an Italian American celebration is the brain child of a few "prominenti" in the early 20th century: Italian Americans who, by latching on to Columbus' coattails, wished to promote their own interests, trying to elevate themselves in the eyes of white Americans who looked down on Italian immigrants. Then, Columbus was an American hero and everyone love him; now that no one cares much about him, Italian Americans, largely ignorant of their own history in this country seem to think it is their duty to defend him. One of many cruel jokes perpetrated within the Italian American community on the Italian American community. The old dagoes couldn't care less for Columbus, and neither could I. It's time we celebrate Italian American history and not be mules for the prominenti.