In an old poem titled "The Widow in the Bye Street," John Masefield depicts a scene of dramatic agony. A young man is about to be executed for crimes against the state, and in the crowd that is gathered to witness this event stands his widowed mother, who is about to be left all alone in the world. When the trapdoor opens and the rope has finished its work, this pathetic soul crumples to the ground and begins to sob uncontrollably, and those nearby hear her say something about "broken things, too broke to mend." Part of this anguish has to do with the past and her sense of failure as a parent, which is now being made visible for all to see. But an even greater part of that anguish has to do with the future and the utter sense of hopelessness that is now closing in upon her. It is an awful …