DOWD'S (ALMOST) REDEMPTION

I had this teacher who, during a poetry lesson, had us read an ee cummings poem. Normally he wasn't a fan of cummings, but thought that this particular poem was important. See, it was a very cogent, powerful love poem-- completely unlike cummings' usual broken style. My teacher explained that it was impressive to watch an artist who normally dwells in the abstract, produce something of singular beauty. The fact that the beauty was unexpected had the effect of making the piece that much more impressive.

Maureen Dowd, who we've watched become completely unhinged the past few years, has recently produced such a piece. Far from her normal paranoid and juvenile rants, this is a touching, well-written piece that reminds us of why she won a Pulitzer. Unfortunately, I don't think we can expect to see this caliber of work from her again anytime soon.
Nemesis