From the Inkwell, From the Vein.....

Bleak and bleeding shadows, like clutching tendrils weave, Drawing forth, ineffable heaviness, the binding burden of grief. Like acid, their gnashing teeth, steeping weak and brittle stone, Imbuing bitter dregs with sightless faith, the cold and rancid tongue. Night wings away the shadows’ claim, the feeble dream—a creature, gaunt, alone, Stripped of flesh, bereft of life, useless eyes, redundant bone.                                                                                                     ---e.a.s. demers

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear---- C.S. Lewis *****   *****   ***** Grief is a funny thing. It's doesn't matter what you try to do, or how you try to define it--- it does its thing, its own way, in its own time. Everybody has to endure it, in one form or another, time and time again--- it's as much a part of life as breathing. And, while enduring grief, everybody does their own thing, their own way, in their own time. -------------------------- My parents spent their entire working lives as nurses. They were LPNs at a skilled nursing home for nearly all of my childhood. It was expected that most, if not all, of their patients would spend their final days within those sterile halls. Perhaps it was less expected that my parents would feel the need to attend the memorials for their patients...baby brother and I in tow. Nevertheless, I have just as many funeral memories as I do Christmas-Morning memories. I've heard it told that, as a re...

The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living--- Cicero This is a catharsis entry. It will be posted and saved, though I don't know how long it will be visible. I feel the need (selfish, though it may be) to put this out there for other eyes---as a way of getting the words out without actually speaking them. I don't know how ready I am to "talk" about anything. *************************************** Just twenty-four hours ago (give or take a couple of hours, because, who can count the seconds when they bleed into days?), my mother passed away. And, I still can't wrap my head around the truth of it. For several innocent seconds throughout the day, I would forget-- then the shock of it rolled back through me and I found myself saying, however cold and matter-of-fact it sounds in my mind--- 'my mother is dead.' I think I've been prepared--- as well as one can be prepared--- for this day for the last few months. When it was becom...

Ah, 'twas another day in customer-land at the bookstore..... Gentleman came in the store today looking for a specific bible. Well, when I say specific--- He entered the store with his own personal bible, showing us the publication date to be 1979. He was in search of a bible that had a publication date earlier than 1979.... Okay--- we tried to tell him that the books we would currently have in stock would have much more recent publication dates---- they would be revised and reprinted and reissued.  We might have a bible on the shelf that had an "original" publication date much earlier than 1979, but it would still be a reprint. Even our replica copies of the 1611 King James Bible have a publication date of 2010. Then, he clarified..... he wanted a copy of the New King's James Version of the bible with a publication date earlier than 1979. Sooooo, he didn't really want the oldest publication of a bible he could get. He wanted the oldest publication of the...

Magick is a tender art, woven from fine and silken threads, crafted by the gentle heart, and wizened, sacred hands.  As the unicorns take to the sea, relinquishing their earthbound form, so, too, must I take my leave, from the bitter realm where I was born. Listen to the sea-wind's calling, beckoning all to come her way, deep and ancient thoughts now stirring, the knells echoing at end of day.                                                                                                              ---e.a.s. demers

The hubby and I cook quite frequently... actually every night, barring a few "let's-grab-something-out-because-we-don't-have-time-to-cook" meals---- we're talking a 3 times a month, max, that we eat out. LUCKILY, we share similar tastes in food. And, even LUCKIER, I have a husband who's willing to be my guinea pig when I'm trying something new that I've never attempted to cook before. Most times we completely agree on particular food stuffs---though we do have a few differences...we just work around these. He isn't fond of mushrooms, I abhor olives--love olive oil, just hate olives--he doesn't like sweet potatoes, I have never cultivated a taste for shrimp---I'm convinced I have a TEXTURE issue (hence the olives and the rubbery shrimp). Little by little, we develop each other's taste and develop some new 'recipes' along the way.... Case in point: Two nights ago, we thought we'd make pizza---nothing extreme, we buy pr...

It was a day designed specifically to lay out exactly what I am incapable of doing---- at least at the present moment.... I cannot sign in American Sign Language. I used to babysit a friend's little brother, during the summer of my first? second? year of college. He was hearing impaired, not completely deaf, but he did use signs regularly to get his wants/needs across. Over the summer that I worked with him, I did pick up some sign language. But.... he was 3. Most of the signs revolved around the color of the ball/toy he wanted and what movie he wanted to watch. We really didn't get into any philosophical conversations. Definitely not. There's a part of me that wishes the little brother had been a bit older, as I might have retained some of the signs I did learn if we'd actually tried to converse. Now, however, I usually don't think about it. At least, I don't think about it until one of our deaf patrons comes to shop for books. And, I am disheartened th...