Cypress Introducs Himself |
Introduction of Cypress My fourth grade teacher asked us to write a short story. I wrote, “The dog chased the bear, the bear chased the cow and the cow ran up a tree.” I asked, “Why did you give me a “D?” She said, “Because cows can’t climb trees.” “You asked for a short story, not a true story.” She made me keep the “D” so I retired from writing, but my writing retirement ended when a beautiful young princess leaned on me at her grandfather’s grave and I knew I must write. These may not be short stories and you may question their truthfulness, but I must write them. This is a herky jerky frog-kissing book and it doesn’t fit any literary genre; the closest category would be an epistolary novel, which is a series of letters directed to an undisclosed or fictional person. I call these letters to my princess essays, even though some people think of essays as true personal experiences. Some of my Terms “Herky” means happy and humorous things that bring a smile to your face and a warm glow to your heart. “Jerky” means things that are tougher and might cause a tear. “Frog-Kissing” is helping people to see themselves in a better light and helping them use them use their improved self image to become the prince or princess they want to be. “Highwire” is where I go each morning and evening to look up for guidance and then down at the world where I must do my frog-kissing. This book isn’t about religion or church, however, I was active as a layman for over thirty years; I then became a minister and served in that capacity for thirty years. My writing has a mild religious flavor but my view is balanced between the pulpit and pew. I have retained all rights and have a generous policy with newspapers, magazines, and others who want to publish individual pieces. Romance is not enough herky and not enough jerky for me, so I don’t write about it. I could write a hundred true essays about “busted love” but most of them wouldn’t reveal any unique truths. If it wasn’t for busted love the song writers would be out of business. I love their songs and know the words but don’t write about any of them – except those sung by Tennessee Plowboy Eddy Arnold. I dream of a Cypress Creek Kid column, a Barney the Barnyard Philosopher column, and perhaps a Fast Food Gypsy column. I’m a happy and cheerful person even though I write about the sad and traumatic. You will see from my essays that I have enough toughness to help people through the fires, floods and storms of life, and that’s what frog-kissing is all about. For Permission to Use Essays Email: cypress55@verizon.net (434) 237-9132 |