Been thinking a lot about facades, for many reason. Hopefully this ties a few things together. Enjoy
“Chance the Gardener”
On the tour, I trace his footsteps.
Movies imitating books,
Peter Sellers imitating life
Watching flickering screens,
Mirroring the moves
Losing himself in a kineoscope version of
The naked American Dream
When his father died in 1885,
George W. Vanderbilt
Inherited 12 million dollars,
300 million by 21st century standards
Spent on opulence he could not maintain
For the sake of entertainment, façade and
Numbers, one higher than the other
When her father died,
Domestic maid number 3
Inherited 15 hour workdays,
With a half day off every other Sunday,
Spent in the basement of the Biltmore
Without a name to be reclaimed
Shirley MacLaine moans
On the tour I trace their footsteps
Doug Hoekstra 