Rather than provide a technical review of your free verse, I'd like to focus my comments on what I sensed/experienced while reading, "The Evolution of a Journey."
As your journey began, I was reminded of the pure nature of spirit immediately after exposure to the traffic patterns of the world. The sensation of being out-of-step with the world, but in-step with The Divine (God), was very strong. Following a brief orientation to the sights and sounds of the pedestrian world, the courageous and inquisitive spirit wants to merge into the flow of traffic. Failing to heed the warning signs, the spirit is bumped, battered, bruised, and left dizzy in the street wondering what hit it! But the spirit is resilient. It picks itself up…dusts off…and in spite of its suffering takes the next step and is once again on its way. Other spirits may walk alongside for a period, but inevitably must follow their own path. As the spirit continues walking, now more cautiously and feeling somewhat lost in a lost world, the unmistakable footsteps of the One who has gone before takes form illuminating a path into the future. Although the footprints are barely visible, they lead in the direction that is unique and unmistakably personal.
I wish you the best as your journey evolves. Keep writing, keep living, and discover the meaning in all the footprints that lie ahead!
Revel,
Your descriptive words of emotional pain and turmoil will capture the empathetic eyes and ears of many. How many of us have shared your pain in our own lives? It's like looking into a mirror of my own past; looking into the existential writings and seeing a face staring, flat affect, back from the pages. You are not alone and we are not all that different.
And, while we might like to encourage you and say, "This too shall pass" we know that it is better to sit and be still in your suffering with you. No one can assure another that the future will be brighter than the one now experienced. However, there is hope that a fire of passion will again ignite and melt away the heart of ice. God, or life, offers you the torch to turn within. The question is one of desire. Does the heart of ice desire and dare to melt? Does the scared and timid spirit desire to be empowered with courage? If the answer to these questions is "yes", then the healing can begin and begins with crying. So, let your tears flow and you will experience the warmth of God's love with every drop as it warms your chest and penetrates into your heart.
May His love remain with you when all others appear to fall away. Also know that there are others, many of us whom you do not know, who are here if we are needed. You never need to feel alone, unloved, or unappreciated.
This is a very thought-provoking piece. My house is quiet at the moment and the solitude allows me the opportunity to experience the sense of aloneness.
In my isolation I see multiple ways in which your story could be interpreted. At one level I try to imagine what that same experience would be like if it happened to me. Similarly, is this what a person with Alzheimer's disease suffers on a daily basis? These appear to me to be the manifest interpretations of the story and the manner in which we vicariously experience your trauma.
But your writing moves me to a more latent, symbolic, or philosophical level. It is as if we are all awakening anew every day and that in order to discover who we are we must discover who we are not. And, while the question of "who we are not" may be temporarily unanswerable, your reference to the "humble cross" on the wall seems to anchor us to who we are at the core. It will serve as a symbolic reminder that even if I don't know who I am, I know that I am alive...that I exist. I am a part of the GREAT I AM and this, for me, is where I need to begin my new day, everyday.
Finally, the images you created in my mind's eye really were worth one thousand words and you accomplished it with a mere 481 words! Great job, Web~Witch! I look forward to reading more of your creative works!
Penny,
It is always a pleasure to see someone with special gifts share those gifts with others. You have the gift of painting beautiful images, the one's that come alive in the reader's mind, through written expression.
I have never worn a wedding dress---I was the guy on the other side of the aisle who only needed to worry about renting a tux that fit reasonably well and that my shoes were on the right foot. Such were the concerns of the typical young groom.
Your expression of what it was like to be a young bride planning for her perfect wedding gave me a glimpse into the other side of my reality 30 years ago. Fascinating how our perceptions change over time! Come to think of it, I probably did have my shoes on the wrong foot. Hummm.
But here is what I found most special about your story...You captured the essence of who you were in your earlier years in six paragraphs. It was a beautiful YOU! But true beauty, the kind that expresses who you have become in the seventh paragraph, takes years for God to develop. He seems to have done a spectacular job with you! Just like the 'old' commercial used to say, "You aren't getting older, you are getting better."
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful expression of your love for Jesus, and His love for you.
For me, your poem is a gift from God. As with many "coincidences" I stumbled upon your writing at just the right moment. Thus, I offer the following words as an expression of what it means to me.
Your first sentence demonstrates that we can't solve our problems alone. Although we struggle with our inner demons and grapple with our fate, we come out exhausted and realize that we are responsible for the mess we are in. At this point we realize that we must "look Jesus in the eye." Very powerful imagery!
But once we come psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually clean, we find a loving God who accepts us in spite of our faults. Greed, narcissistic tendencies, and the "I'm doing it 'my' way orientation to life have all been cleared from the Heavenly register. We acknowledge that we don't deserve His grace, but once we acknowledge it we want to always keep it.
Finally, I'd appreciate your input on a short essay I posted titled, "The Bible and a Bag of Golf Clubs." I'm a functional idiot when it comes to the Bible and I'm trying to increase my knowledge and wisdom of His word. It's not always easy!
Excellent suggestions and helpful hints! All writers, whether rookies or veterans, will be able to promote their writing passion with the help of this column. As one of the rookies to non-academic writing, I intend to make use of each suggestion. Thanks for taking the time to help us achieve greater visability.
Nice short poll! The two hours you spend each day in writing is admirable! My only suggestion relates to the purpose of your scale--that is, are you most interested in the amount of time (hours) that people write, number of days, or their level of consistency? For example, a person who responds "a couple hours per day" may be writing between 10-14 hours per week. Another writer selects "once or twice a week" or "weekend" but he or she spends 10 hours at the keyboard each setting. Just wondering...best wishes!
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