News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Saturday August 15th 2026
POETRY: Kiziah’s Story, Part II
By SHELIA BLAND
To the other,
The mother says only,
“Yes, sir.”
The mother and Kiziah go to the allotted area,
Where the mother goes over the list of duties
and the order in which they must occur—
without passing on to Kiziah,
the mother’s anxiety.
The mother inspects Kiziah’s dress
To see that everything is perfect
Before she leaves this
house of the others
to head home.
The next day,
the mother sets out for work.
–What do you mean “the next day…”?
What happened at the event?
How did Kiziah do?
What is to be the fate
Of the mother and daughter?
I cannot say.
I was not there, you see.
No one was.
We are not guilty.
The mother was not there.
She is not guilty.
She is responsible—
We all are.
You see, the mother assumed
The event ran late
And Kiziah was required
To stay the night.
It’s a valid assumption.
We have no control over the others.
We are merely required to obey them.
Kiziah would have had to do as she was told.
That would be following the rules.
When the mother arrived
She was instructed to serve
The breakfast in the parlor,
Clean up after breakfast,
Then clean up from
Last night’s event.… Read the rest “POETRY: Kiziah’s Story, Part II”
The Death of Robin Hood
from the series Movie Corner…
3/5 Stars
2026
Ryder Picture Company
Period Piece/Adventure/Drama
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II
Over the last century, many actors have played Robin Hood on film and television. The earliest Robin Hood is played by Douglas Fairbanks (1922). Errol Flynn takes on that legendary character in the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood. Flynn’s version of Robin Hood as a man who delights in robbing the rich and giving to the poor is probably the best known. Sean Connery donned the cape but as an older, more seasoned Robin in Robin and Marian (1976). Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood plays a more modern version of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves which was a blockbuster. To be a more comedic Robin Hood, Cary Elwes did a parody of the fictional character in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). Russell Crowe plays a hardy, war-battled archer with a dark edge in 2010. Taron Egerton in 2018 plays a rather action-packed Robin Hood. On television, Richard Green plays Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960). Then there’s Michael Praed and Jason Connery who both play Robin Hood in the 1980s British series Robin of Sherwood.… Read the rest “The Death of Robin Hood”
Keep citizen journalism alive!
Pondering the Breath of Life
from the series Raise Your Voice….
By PETER MOLENAAR
It can be said with certainty that the neighborhoods served by this paper constitute a community of shared memories, one of which is indelibly etched within. Presumably, then, the young poets among us will grant an old man some license:
Most of us bold enough to leave our mother’s womb will inhale the scent of lilacs when in bloom. Yet every blossom withers before evoking again and again: the breath of life.
While pondering the breath of life, we might acknowledge our Ward 10 councilperson. Aisha has returned with reports from her recent tour of Cuba, an island nation long tormented by a blockade which now threatens to pull the electrical plug from incubated babies.
Naturally, some voices have emerged on the local scene which appear to mimic the vocal shrugs: “stuff happens” and “that is the cost.” Others believe Aisha deserves commendation for her compassionate example.
All things considered, however, historians will acknowledge our collective resolve to uphold the breath of life. Indeed, we shut down Smith Foundry, and we blocked a proposal to house a diesel truck fleet at the nearby Roof Depot site, and if memory serves, there was an industrial-scale garbage incinerator which disappeared as well.… Read the rest “Pondering the Breath of Life”