About Me

My photo
Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, United States

Friday, May 31, 2013

Frances Ha

Is a recently filmed black and white saga
Of the travails of a single twenty something
Who ricochets from place to place, attempting
To pursue her dream vocation in Manhattan.

In the early scenes, she appears to be a flake,
Engaging in mindless conversation with her peers.
Her actions are erratic, her intents unfathomable,
Until we see some unfolding of her past.

She spends Christmas with her parents
Who must have paid her fare to Sacramento.
She works during a summer at Vassar College,
Wherefrom she must have graduated.

Then things begin to fall into order,
Which you will have to see yourself.
Suffice to say that she may always be broke,
But her college expenses must have been paid.

She is, then, from a good family
Who support her in all her doings.
They welcome her brief return to the nest,
And bid her an affectionate goodbye.

This then, is a realistic portrayal of the
Recent college graduates who are just getting by.
Avenue Q painted the same picture in 2002,
Won the Toni award and played for seven years.

That musical is great fun to watch, but like
All good comedy, has a touch of heartbreak.
A critical element for examining the situation
Of young graduates is the yoke of student loans.

I have never written about my grandchildren
But their individual circumstances are representative
Of those fortunate graduates who have had their
College tuition, room, and board paid by their parents.

The oldest is a teacher in a private school in New York.
She has a master's degree in teaching ESL.
Her brother has spent four years in a seminary, is
Now looking for a non-profit position in NYC.

Both live at home, with no marital impediments.
The older child of another of my children's families
Is an assistant coach of track and field at a college in Maine,
Following pursuit of a master's in sports psychology.

Both she and her brother have ongoing relationships.
Whether and when that will become permanent is undetermined.
He attended a prestigious university to study business,
But is now an IT manager for a software firm in Chicago.

Their younger sister was Phi Beta Kappa,
At a large state university in the South.
Studying foreign relations led her to Washington
And to a succession of jobs for the government.

There are two other grandchildren in California.
One is a year from college, and will begin looking soon.
His sister has been accepted at a high school for the arts,
Being a devoted apprentice to American Musical Theater.

One wonders how life will turn out for these youngsters.
I will have to keep an eye on them from another venue.
Chances are that they will wind up in situations no one
Could possibly identify at this juncture.

No comments: