I've got a headache. The kind that shoots spears of lightning down the muscles of the neck and back-- it's a vice that seems to know but one direction. Headaches, for me, cause everything else to grind to a near standstill.
I wrote a poem once, while in the beginning throes of a migraine. As short as it is, it still took more than an hour to get right.
This time around my inspiration came not from the headache, but from a single word which caught my eye while scanning a random page of text... That word?
Capulet
Capulet sing
To the morning sun
Of all the things you haven't yet done
Ask him to stay
A little long 'neath the cover
Give you more time
Alone with your lover
Capulet sing
Capulet sing
To the dark starry night
Sing of the things you haven't got right
Ask them to shine
A little long in the sky
Give you and your lover
More time for goodbye
Capulet sing
Soft-throated murmurs
And sighs on the bed
Clasped and fervent
To the boy you have wed
Oh, Capulet sing
Of eyes deep and burnished
Tongues steeped in honey-sweet dew
Your lips on the curves
Of your dear Montague
Oh Capulet sing
Poison and daggers
Are terrible things
Sing and let go
Without fear or doubt
To your sweet Montague
Unstained and devout
Sing Juliet and maybe you'll see
A life beyond whispers
And cold rosary
Capulet sing
To the cold fates of love
Pray to the God who watches above
For Romeo rises
And Mercury too
Tumult and Tybalt
By the hand of your poor Montague
Oh, Capulet sing
Soft-throated murmurs
And sighs on the bed
Clasped and fervent
To the man you have wed
Oh, Capulet sing
Of dreams for the future
Of love, unembattled and true
Your lips on the breast
Of your dear Montague
Oh, Capulet sing
Capulet ring
Capulet love
Till the morning takes wing
Oh, Capulet love
Oh, Capulet sing
Daggers and poisons
Are terrible things
ELAshley
033111.110726.
.113625.1
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
in case i haven't told anyone...
...i am a Christian. Really. You'll find all kind of things on this blog; some consistent with that profession, and some not. For the record, I'm not trying to be anyone other than who I am, good or bad alike... This is the most common human failing there is... not trying. Selah.
For those of you who didn't know, it is impossible for a Christian to not commit sin; it's simply not in his nature to be perfect. But being a Christian is not about being perfect but, rather, it's about being perfected. Daily. Assuming of course I allow myself to be perfected. There is still within me the desire to seek my own will, and it wins more often than not. When all you've known, your entire life, is the tactile sensations of your very skin; nerve endings, and the pump and flow of blood rushing; sensations of pleasure and of pain; how does anyone deny the the very thing that tells them they are alive and living in the world? that gives them means of expression and communication? How does anyone die daily to their flesh? let alone a Christian?
It's been said by all and sundry at some point in their vocal lives that truth is relevant, and I have to agree. But allow me to qualify that. When most people hear the phrase 'truth is relative,' what they're really hearing is that my truth is not necessarily their truth. When I hear that particular truism uttered, I hear that truth has specific relevance not only to me, but to everyone, whether I like that truth or not. Every truth is relevant to everyone, whether they recognize it or not. You can say you don't believe in the law of gravity, but try stepping off the edge of a cliff. You can say you don't believe in God, but just wait until you stumble across eternity's threshold.
So, what are you saying E?
What I'm saying is that truth cannot have private, singularly individual interpretations. It is either true for all or it's not true at all. It's either true every time or it's an aberration. Some will argue this distinction, and I understand that need, but I won't argue the point. Except to say that if a thing is true, it is always true; circumstance and geography become irrelevant determinant witnesses in the face of absolute truth.... What's that? You say there are no absolutes?
Too many people-- Christians especially --make excuses for the truth, particularly in the abortion debate. One Christian will call abortion evil in any circumstance, another Christian will make pointlessly arbitrary exceptions for rape, incest, etc., while still other christians [and no, that's not a typo] proudly claim they celebrate a woman's right to choose. Okay...? Many of these latter types are quick to make the distinction that they personally abhor the act; it's only the right to 'choose' that they're celebrating, but this is equivocation. They believe there is nobility in defending a perceived right that, in this arena, only women possess, but even women squabble over this trope... a woman's right to choose. Even women can't agree. But where is this right codified other than in the nebulous 1973 Roe v Wade ruling.
Does man's law supersede God's law? If we are to render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things which are God's, in the case of abortion, specifically, who's law do we follow? Caesar says 'Rip It Out!', but God says, 'THOU SHALT NOT KILL.' Who's law is greater? Unto whom are we to render the service of obedience?
So the moral of the story is (assuming there is a story in the body of this post) you should never judge the book by it's cover, or better, by its title. I can call myself a Christian all day long, but that won't make me one.
For those of you who didn't know, it is impossible for a Christian to not commit sin; it's simply not in his nature to be perfect. But being a Christian is not about being perfect but, rather, it's about being perfected. Daily. Assuming of course I allow myself to be perfected. There is still within me the desire to seek my own will, and it wins more often than not. When all you've known, your entire life, is the tactile sensations of your very skin; nerve endings, and the pump and flow of blood rushing; sensations of pleasure and of pain; how does anyone deny the the very thing that tells them they are alive and living in the world? that gives them means of expression and communication? How does anyone die daily to their flesh? let alone a Christian?
It's been said by all and sundry at some point in their vocal lives that truth is relevant, and I have to agree. But allow me to qualify that. When most people hear the phrase 'truth is relative,' what they're really hearing is that my truth is not necessarily their truth. When I hear that particular truism uttered, I hear that truth has specific relevance not only to me, but to everyone, whether I like that truth or not. Every truth is relevant to everyone, whether they recognize it or not. You can say you don't believe in the law of gravity, but try stepping off the edge of a cliff. You can say you don't believe in God, but just wait until you stumble across eternity's threshold.
So, what are you saying E?
What I'm saying is that truth cannot have private, singularly individual interpretations. It is either true for all or it's not true at all. It's either true every time or it's an aberration. Some will argue this distinction, and I understand that need, but I won't argue the point. Except to say that if a thing is true, it is always true; circumstance and geography become irrelevant determinant witnesses in the face of absolute truth.... What's that? You say there are no absolutes?
Too many people-- Christians especially --make excuses for the truth, particularly in the abortion debate. One Christian will call abortion evil in any circumstance, another Christian will make pointlessly arbitrary exceptions for rape, incest, etc., while still other christians [and no, that's not a typo] proudly claim they celebrate a woman's right to choose. Okay...? Many of these latter types are quick to make the distinction that they personally abhor the act; it's only the right to 'choose' that they're celebrating, but this is equivocation. They believe there is nobility in defending a perceived right that, in this arena, only women possess, but even women squabble over this trope... a woman's right to choose. Even women can't agree. But where is this right codified other than in the nebulous 1973 Roe v Wade ruling.
Does man's law supersede God's law? If we are to render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things which are God's, in the case of abortion, specifically, who's law do we follow? Caesar says 'Rip It Out!', but God says, 'THOU SHALT NOT KILL.' Who's law is greater? Unto whom are we to render the service of obedience?
So the moral of the story is (assuming there is a story in the body of this post) you should never judge the book by it's cover, or better, by its title. I can call myself a Christian all day long, but that won't make me one.
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