I think it’s awesome that one of my favorite mugs (though it’s been dropped and shattered to pieces and glued back together) through a scarred face can remind me of a simple edict – grow.
Thanks, mug-that-I-blogged-about-that-one-time. I do believe I will.
No edits and no regrets
No foundations on which to forget.
No third parties or loose backdoors
No hidden compartments under floor boards
No skeletons unburied baring the stench
If so, we’ll inhume for recompense
No tears without purchase
No fears with proof
No empty containers
Nor dignity aloof
No fatherless daughter
No motherless son
No sunset forgotten
Nor moonlit sun
No touch is contingent
Mere embrace unreserved
Every thought bring you honor
Every action to serve
No vain repetitions
Nor bulletproof vests
To null this intimate promise,
This constant caress.
I’ve begun delving into the guts of my second novel and this song keeps echoing in the back of my memory so I played it. And I played it again. And Again.
The song is called Gomer’s Theme by Third Day from their album, “Conspiracy No. 5.” Listen here. The song is a retelling from the book of Hosea (chapter’s 1-3) of Hosea’s marriage to Gomer, an unfaithful wife that he ceaselessly forgave of adultery while loving her unconditionally. This was to be a parallel to God’s undying faithfulness to Israel (or us). You can read a summary here or delve into the scriptures for yourself here.
Not to make this into some awkward and impromptu Bible study, but my point for posting this is to demonstrate that true love involves forgiveness. Again and again. And while we may feel like fools when we are the ones doing the forgiving, we’ll (with maturity and God’s leading) find that we a more receptive to receive love when we aren’t hindered by bitterness or the past.
PIOUS, which will be released on October1, is thematically about forgiveness on many levels and illustrates how even forgiving ourselves is necessary to move forward and truly live the life that we are meant to live.
Fire fire, burning bright
Windy windy, lost my light
Sequins sequins, she tucks it in
Sprays her scent and does a spin
Water water, quench my thirst
Love me back, make me first
Comet vomit into space
I want to kiss you on your face
Loving loving, why’s it hard?
I rehearsed my lines and know my parts
These shoes behoove though second-hand
Not good enough, more reprimand
Steady steady, start again
I’m sure I’ll get this in the end
Ponder wander, her face I see
And my mind goes again, just up and leaves…
Ahh… to be her pillow.
So today is Independence Day where we as Americans commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Or we more commonly refer to this 4th of July as a day to reflect on our freedom as a country and eat a lot of barbecue. But what of freedom for everyone? History tells us that slaves (mostly blacks but a few other minorities) were far from free for decades to come. You may be thinking, “What about the Emancipation Proclamation?”
There is a common misconception among Americans that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves with a stroke of his pen. Yet the Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect on January 1, 1863, did no such thing — or, at least, it didn’t do a very good job of it. Two and a half years later, on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers sailed into Galveston, Texas, announced the end of the Civil War, and read aloud a general order freeing the quarter-million slaves residing in the state. It’s likely that none of them had any idea that they had actually been freed more than two years before. It was truly a day of mass emancipation. It has become known as Juneteenth.1
Can or should non-Blacks celebrate Juneteenth? Juneteenth is for ALL people, anyone who celebrates the basic tenets of freedom, human dignity, and equality. There were a great many white people who were ecstatic that slaves were emancipated. Standing together publicly to denounce today’s racism doesn’t hurt either.2
1 Gilbert Cruz, A Brief History of Juneteenth (2008 article from TIME)
2Abel Pharmboy of scienceblogs.com
Chapter 4 of PIOUS is available for your pretty (or handsome) little eyes to peruse. Join in on the excitement and see why critics are already proclaiming PIOUS, a “breakout, page-turner of a hit.”
As the release date of PIOUS nears and I’m making sure that everyone on earth reads it, I’ve also been working on another plot – a second novel. I’ve been struggling with whether to craft this novel through the voice of first or third-person. Why the struggle, you wonder? My main character is a woman – a pretentious, sarcastic, and murderous woman. Most of you who know me know that I am not those things.
I want my reader to see this story through the main character’s eyes but I have a lot of other stories to tell beyond of her purview. There is a very important scene toward the end that calls for a first-person point-of-view but the other stories need more of a third-person omniscient narrative. There are, of course, artful ways to do this but I feel that I would be limping through the storytelling and forsaking the proven strength that I do have. What to do? What to do?
Yesterday, during an evening run, it came to me. “To thine own self be true.” The consistent advance praise that I’ve gotten for PIOUS thus far is the way I immerse the reader into the story with the voice of my words. My sophomore effort should be no less and so I’ve decided to write my second novel from a third person perspective. This is likely of no consequence to you right now but there is something to gain from my internal rant and struggle. Be true to who you are. Know your strengths and use them above your weaknesses.
And so I close with an excerpt from my favorite Shakespeare piece, Hamlet – (Act 1, scene 3, 78–82).
Polonius:
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!
Laertes:
Most humbly do I take my leave, my lord.
The start of another day set to fight crime and bad design.
