Poe: A Dream Procession

A Celebration For The Existence Of The Divine Joke, 14.5 X 17", copr William Cook, 1982

This scene looks across a parking lot from the University Of Maryland Hospital, to the 

intersection of Fayette and Greene. The buildings are accurate enough to mention 

that the church in the upper right is Westminster Church, site of the grave of 

Edgar Allen Poe.  This view is no longer possible because they built a

building in the lot. Anyway, the significance of all this is that 

I must have snapped this shot while parked next to the 

Hospital, waiting for my wife to get off work.

I may have known about the Poe thing, hence the snapshot. And many moons later, 

I thought this would make a great backdrop for the procession idea I had for this piece.

I mean what a cool conjunction of weirdness.  Even without the Poe thing the buildings 

are creepy enough, but Edgar was icing on the cake. 

This was all reminiscent of a dream I once had of a procession of weirdos, celebrating

something I didn't understand, but I had better get away from.  But I couldn't leave--too 

wicked and wonderful.  They carried shields with this funny emblem, and had 

tassels with sixes embroidered, there were signs, banners, flags--and 

throngs of onlookers all worked up witnessing their holy "priesthood"

 marching along.  

They're celebrating a God who, among his other duties ultimately 

tells the Divine Joke.  The punchline is that there's no joke, he will 

roast you over the coals throughout all eternity if you make a mistake.

How I hoped this wasn't so.

Then I woke up.  

\\///\