A descent into the maelstrom    

There is a short story written in 1841 by Edgar Allen Poe called “A Descent into the Maelstrom.” It tells the tale of a mariner at sea caught in a giant whirlpool.

IMHO we ourselves are currently spiraling downward in a similar predicament. Hard to say when this malevolent spin of events began.

Was it with Reagan, the first “know nothing” celebrity president, who peddled anti-government rhetoric? Things really revved up in 2016 with the election of the comb-over low-life reality show host. His America-first white nationalist bent, allowed all the fringe racists to come out from under their rocks and flow into the mainstream. His what me worry attitude allowed the Covid pandemic to spread and maximize the death toll.

The downward spiral was reprieved when Joe Biden took the Oval Office in 2020.

But the forces of scumbaggery were not done, they festered in the internet chat rooms and certain cable stations. The guy from Queens took on allies with names like Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos and returned zombie-like to become the exalted mystic ruler in 2024. And so the Maelstrom’s spin increases.

The mariner of the Poe story finding his wooden ship going to splinters around him (as we find ours at the moment) comes up with a desperate plan. He lashes himself to a wooden barrel, and with the ship gone, rides down alone to the bottom.

There, along with the barrel, he’s thrown back up to the surface and rescued by a passing fishing boat.

So for us going forward, the main thing, maybe the only thing to do I think is to hold on, ride it out, find a barrel of some kind, and hang on. And remember friends….

The Midterms Cometh!!

Author

  • Blake Sandberg is an artist, musician, filmmaker, skateboarder, company owner/. Sandberg is known for his painting and drawing; as well as his post-punk band Aliens. Sandberg also founded and runs a skateboard and printed goods company called Severed Leg Productions. While a long time east-coaster, his roots are in Austin, Texas.

    View all posts

Discover more from Red Hook Star-Revue

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

READ OUR FULL PRINT EDITION

Our Sister Publication

Most Popular

On Key

Related Posts

Art this autumn

It’s that time of year when the artists, well-rested from the summer, spur to action—ready to fill our evenings and weekends with plays, movies, exhibits, and everything else they’ve dreamt up over the warmer months.  Theater At Target Margin Theater in Sunset Park, The Nonsense Lab runs from Sept. 17 through Oct. 3, “a three-week performance festival of new work

All she wanted was to be a swimmer

I go to the Red Hook Rec Center most mornings (or at least I try to). The staff are fantastic. The other members are welcoming. And the price? $75 for half a year—unbeatable.  This summer, I wanted to get into the best shape of my life. I pictured myself transforming into a fit spy à la Jennifer Lawrence’s ballerina turned

A year since the vote: What has happened at the BMT?

In September of 2025, 25 members of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force gathered alongside staff of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to vote on the vision plan that was to guide the redevelopment of the waterfront site.  Huddled inside an office building at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal (BMT), the task force approved the vision plan with

The many renovation projects at Red Hook Rec Center

Following another year where the Red Hook pool was closed to open the summer and the recreation center too was closed for a (brief) period in August, concerns have been renewed among some area residents that the city could potentially close the complex completely. But concerns might be overblown, as the 90-year-old pool and rec center are set to undergo

Red Hook- Star Revue

FREE
VIEW