Some Old Writings

These are from decades ago, up to a half century.  

Beyond doubt lies no complaint

We of the sun-shall-rise school

Humans that is -- to be sure.

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NO END

It never starts at the beginning

There are always the threads

Some simply hanging

Some holding the seams

Some are sutures

Holding the ripped intact

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It is simple, this destiny

This far-flung peter pan thing

Tinker Bell and Snow White

Magic Wand and Princely kisses

Where mirrors never tell tickings

Of crocodiles following for more.

Cinderella has the foot

Who has the shoe Wicked Witch

Late, late tell the story again

Yellow brick road, yellow brick. 

Save the face the mirror tells

It is simple, this destiny.

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And this was written for a young girl who had a very rough early life.

A Rock, A Tree, A Cloud

I knew this person who wanted to be close, but was afraid.  She decided to practice on something safe.  Now you may think this a strange story.

This person decided to love a rock.  That is right - a rock.  Because it was big and did not change and did not move.  It did not go away, so with practice she learned to love this rock.  Now some people try to love a piece of clay because you can shape clay anyway you want.  But she learn that when you love something and are close to it, it has to have its own shape naturally.  You don't try to really change it.

Well, after loving the rock, she decided to love a tree.  A big tree.  This grows slowly.  This tree changes slowly.  It doesn't go away.  Now some people who are aftaid to get close, try to get a whole forest to love them.  But she learned that this was using the trees and not really love.  So she let this tree grow just as slowly as she could.  She let this tree not go away.

Well, after loving a rock and a tree, she decided to love a cloud.  A cloud?  Yes, a cloud.  She was ready to get close to something that did change.  Something that did go away.  She was a little nervous but she had the strength inside to do this.

Now some people would put this cloud in a bottle.  So it would not go away.  So it would not change.  But she learned that if you put a cloud in a bottle it has no shape at all.  She knew it was best to let herself be herself and the cloud be what it wanted.

Well, after loving a rock, a tree, and a cloud, she knew she was read to get close to a person.  Sometimes a person needs to change. And sometimes a person needs to go away. The feeling of love doesn't have to go away.  A puppy becomes a dog.  A kitten becomes a cat.  A girl becomes a woman.  She learned all this.  She knew all this.  So she was ready to get close to a person.  Just like you.

A short story by Carson McCullers - "A Tree, a Rock, a Cloud" (Harper's Bazaar, 1942) underpins this parable.