“You wonder, don’t you. You look skyward to ask – is geography my destiny? Is the place I am from hardwired in? Am I forever trapped by the patch from whence I came? I do believe that Frank Bascombe pontificated on this very matter and if memory serves, Frank Bascombe said, “Place means nothing.” Of course Frank was from New Jersey, not Fall River, because if Frank was from Fall River, he wouldn’t have said such a thing, because when you are from Fall River everything changes. All bets are off, the table is tilted, the floors are soaked with oil, they’re uneven, the door jambs don’t quite fit the way they’re supposed to, there’s always a draft, the checks are late in the mail most of the time, the sky is tighter and smaller over your head, and you’re asking anyone who will listen, who’s going to shovel the walk? You got shot out of a cannon. And the cannon and everything around it, was what was left of the industrial revolution. Have you ever punched a clock? Worked in a factory with smokestacks overhead? Is that the Meals on Wheels girl? She’s always late. Everyday, she’s late. Is today Wednesday? I think Wednesday is fried chicken day. I like the fried chicken. Place matters, Frank.”
