On Homophones
"Now, it's called a pier mirror," my Aunt Carol instructed, "and not a peer mirror, which you may be thinking, as you may choose to peer into the mirror, but a pier mirror, as in a mirror that is held by two piers or strong architectural structures."
After that tutorial, I thought that I had a strong grasp on the concept.
A few years ago, when Richard was a senior at Carthage, we went to visit him and spent a glorious August afternoon leaping off the long light house dock into the cold waters of Lake Michigan. How thrilling to gather all your courage and runrunrun, as fast as you can to keep your terrified brain in check, until there was no longer cement beneath your feet but air. For just a moment a realization of flying and then plunging deep beneath the water, clear if you open your eyes, and then back into the sunshine. Fix your bikini top and then climb back up the ladder to fly again!
We shared the dock with a family of Kenosha townies, an unfortunate group who walked to this gorgeous location to enjoy their sandwiches and sodas and leave the remnants of their picnic at the foot of the light tower. As they walked away, tugging a little girl behind, I was overcome by their disrespect for the planet and for the irreverence that the little girl was learning. It was suddenly important that I interject: "Excuse me I think you left some of your things."
The little girl's mother turned back, grabbed the grocery bag, napkins, and Coke bottles off the dock, walked to the edge, and threw the whole pile into Lake Michigan. She glared at me: "who do you think you are? The f---ing peer police!?" And then, wrenching her daughter along, she stormed back to the parking lot.
I held my tongue, but I was very close to yelling after her: "I'll tell you this you littering trash bag - you are not a peer of mine!"
We resumed our fun activities without much thought to the tragedy of the Kenosha townies, but as we returned to our car I noticed a sign for the "North Pier Light." Oh! A pier! Not a peer like a person who belongs to the same age and social group, as you might think, but a pier as in a structure that goes out from the shore into the water, from which you can leap into the lake and learn about social dichotomies.
After that tutorial, I thought that I had a strong grasp on the concept.
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| Thanks Richard, for the photo. |
We shared the dock with a family of Kenosha townies, an unfortunate group who walked to this gorgeous location to enjoy their sandwiches and sodas and leave the remnants of their picnic at the foot of the light tower. As they walked away, tugging a little girl behind, I was overcome by their disrespect for the planet and for the irreverence that the little girl was learning. It was suddenly important that I interject: "Excuse me I think you left some of your things."
The little girl's mother turned back, grabbed the grocery bag, napkins, and Coke bottles off the dock, walked to the edge, and threw the whole pile into Lake Michigan. She glared at me: "who do you think you are? The f---ing peer police!?" And then, wrenching her daughter along, she stormed back to the parking lot.
I held my tongue, but I was very close to yelling after her: "I'll tell you this you littering trash bag - you are not a peer of mine!"
We resumed our fun activities without much thought to the tragedy of the Kenosha townies, but as we returned to our car I noticed a sign for the "North Pier Light." Oh! A pier! Not a peer like a person who belongs to the same age and social group, as you might think, but a pier as in a structure that goes out from the shore into the water, from which you can leap into the lake and learn about social dichotomies.
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