being Loved

We poor tend to share everything freely versus the selfish rich. Our common bond is suffering and the desire to lighten the burden of a family member of any color, creed or gender. Thus the meek inherit this earth, in the beginning, middle and ending.

Revisiting/revising my suffering. Did it ever end? Perhaps it is now reconciled in old age when everything becomes simpler; the last things in life. Of that which I covet freedom fearing the loss is independence and one of the two sources of distress invaded my home today and I did not kill him. Instead I ignored his greeting, calling me Jack, after promising myself that I would in turn say; "To you that is too familiar from henceforth call me Mr. Spratt; or call me nothing but leave me in peace.

It would be, for me, admonishing a snake once bitten and dying. Of death, though I cannot remember the specifics, genders, creeds or proclivities; I retain a sense of empathy derived from experience. Each of us is on a journey, the path is not obvious unless you have settled on an addiction to money, sex, religion or some other excuse for arising the next dawn.

The man invaded my shelter, of course he presumes it is his to guard from my sloth, pests, pets, etc. He, like she who, brought me to the departure points from which I have learned to take better care of myself and environment--I've been praying for both of them--ending in what harm could I cause to someone so self-abusive? The profit to me is a better life because of them; more methodical and better organized/focused. It was well past time to move along. Possibly better,occurring now, I sense my mothers William Blake like and mystical reference to being no more significant than a grain of sand in the desert filled with those like me.

Humility begins with humiliation; I have an advanced degree. To the extent of becoming nothing and no one save for my love of all others whose lives and wounded hearts need healing. It is not I or anyone specific. I could, but refuse to, attribute my health and emotional sobriety to Jesus or God since to do so, in this culture, I would offend my friends of other definitions of God.

It is clever to say; "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Yet, sincerely, I had no Lemonade Stand nor glasses or cups or ice and no will to do so being nothing to myself.

Being Here Now was worth everything endured. All my prayers, longings, dreams and lack of weeping have become part of the solution. It seems to me now that all the "don't you want to "Be's" were delusions, worse, prisons and poisons implying suicide. Or at the very best; a greater suffering than the balm of applause, admiration or all the money in the universe could salve.

Once I would save that I was never "between a rock and a hard place." Then follow on with the thesis, in abstraction never fully understood, that all the wounds of my heart were meant to forge me into an instrument of peace; not vengeance. Never blame.

Yet the knowledge; the experience; in different ways and places; other people as artist making me this moment more willingly accepted or submitted to; is still surprising and without expectation willing to take more of such life is left for me for those of you who must heal yourselves. Anything less is dependence, avoidance, idolatry and cult. Rumi said it best and I'll close with his clue:

"Learn the alchemy that few human beings know, that when you accept what difficulties you have been given, a door opens."

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

. . . remember please that what happened or will happen is nothing to you as your are having yourself self defined in death will be had in love by God.
Own yourself.

121012 21:25 Being Loved
©2012 by Jack Spratt - All Rights Reserved

God laughs & is a humorist

The last scenario before awakening was at a hospice where there was a new decorative wall upon which the patients and staff were to leave their signatures.

My question was should I sign the wall, and my unseen, unknowable and beloved friend said; "Sure, go ahead!"

"Were?"

"Anywhere you want."

"No. You first!"

Then appeared, instantly, a perfectly printed movie title; "Mr. Ed" as in The Talking Horse!

I awoke laughing. As I am, now, still laughing. If I accomplished nothing else in this life, longing for the next, and previous: I'd want you to remember nothing of me but sharing with you: God laughs!

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." --Maya Angelou http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Know_Why_the_Caged_Bird_Sings

We, unconsciously, are woven into the tapestry of our lives. My life, as metaphor, learned from listening to my maternal grandmother's Singer Sewing Machine before drifting into sleep and oblivion nightly when there in Ripley, Ohio. The place of my only peace ever known before this. The place where Liza and child crossed the ice floes to escape slavery.

Behind Mama Lu's home, not too distant, was a stairs ascending from the river to hill above the plain of Ohio and at times, whenever I was there, I'd climb those stairs with her. She was nineteen when giving birth to my mother. So very young, thirteen, when giving birth to my aunt Nina . . . ding, ding, ding, ding. . . .No wonder I think of them, all three when considering The Virgin Mother of God. . . .then myself the first male descending from a matriarchal line of woman and now advocate for their equality in all all things.

Does my mindfulness derive from them inseminated by my never known grandfather? For a lifetime, a wild child; who me a preacher's kid? Always fleeing from the now revealed truths that I breathe and live by expecting, in death, learn forever more?!

The voice of an author, read, has no face or gender. Just what needs saying; from their unknowable soul. The "why i write" is perfectly clear. I do so to make available to others, even if only one, myself, redemption and salvation.

I could, may and can analytically deconstruct all of my life and I have. Discovering in the process the greatest of everything but especially my joy in the act of writing . . . the characters mating one with another forming new life across the desert plain no longer crooked highway to all meaning and life.

At least for me it is.

Each day, including yesterdays patient waiting to be violated by the prison guard: Mr. Burt Crisp, Jr. who strode into my home oblivious that he had left the outer door open for Annie's potential escape and possible being road kill.

Have you heard from nearby the roar of a lion?

"close that door!"

You have no need to do as I have done but merely to celebrate the loves you have of spring or winter slush. All dancing life surrounding you through the seasons and reasons of life. Yet for those who daily think of death the only release from agony I write suggesting you listen to yourself. Sans judgment or blaming anyone or thing for your anxiety: twitching and writhing.

You have no need to be Muslim, Jew, Christian or Buddhist; maybe Janis? God is not specifically associated with any one religion or philosophy. If you feel fine embrace that but if you grieve or cry in the night then you might attend yourself exclusive of all others and their institutional alternatives. God changes no one. Instead merely makes the whole or Holy dedicated to their free will chosen identifications.

All institutions are imperfect, as I am, and will always remain. I care not what authority proclaims; since the only authority you need attend is within you.

Be well beloved of me.

121013 04:23 God laughs!!!!
©2012 by Jack Spratt - All Rights Reserved

The Great White Hope

I have no prejudice for, or against, people of color; or women in particular. Merely, and simply said, I have a hard-on for those of our family of humankind; the oppressed and/or otherwise enslaved.

If I use the word primitive regarding the conservancy of God's love for all humanity, but in this instance in America. I mean primal as in Keep It Simple Stupid the Quaker's appeal to me most of all because of their "Speak Truth to Power."

It follows that I have a unique knowing of Mormonism. Their history, practices and greed for preeminence secretly baptizing both the living and dead to expand their numbers.

I DO PROTEST!

It: Mormonism is a cult not a religion; therefore they should be taxed as a business incorporated or not. The men enslave women, no more or no less so, than al-Qaeda. Stopping just short of clitoridectomy but otherwise enslaving "their" women to servetude in all dimensions; especially sexual as breed stock chattel--again--to expand their numbers; brainwashed into systems of belief. A philosophy not a religious faith.

Doubting my use, and entitlement, of Mormons as cultist; I sought the Oxford Dictionary of English and The Sage's English Dictionary and Thesaurus discovering:

intimidation noun
1. The act of intimidating a weaker person to make them do something.
2. A communication that makes you afraid to try something.
3. The feeling of being intimidated; being made to feel afraid or timid.
4. The feeling of discouragement in the face of someone's superior fame, wealth, status, etc..
A. a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or as imposing excessive control over members: a network of Satan-worshipping cults.
B. a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular thing: the cult of the pursuit of money as an end in itself.
C. A person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society: the series has become a bit of a cult in the UK | [as modifier] a cult film.

{Format purposes: bullets and hyper links removed or altered}

My sense of racial prejudice in the world at large and (especially) in North America is it rampant. My intuition has been haunting me since the beginning of Mitt Romney's ascendancy and The Republican Nation Committee's reluctance submitting to his obvious saleability.

The Bobblehead, white flashing face, and lying through his flip-flop teeth. The son-of-a-bitch is kind to his own. And from what I've heard, a good 'minister' to those in need; only if one of "his" own flock. While the "heathen" are thrown to the wolves. Their employment indiscriminately and blithely aborted, unaccountably, like his past income tax returns, covert and hidden in offshore bank accounts.

Either the work man/woman is worthy of their hirer or not?!

Not he alone but all rich; how much is enough? The obvious, judging by Republicans et all is: MORE!

While the world goes hungry. Becoming more dependent on those who dangle the lure of a job? Forgive my conjecture, but, could we not "Nationalize" their wealth and thus feed those they made poor? Not merely tax; but confiscate from them what they have stolen from us?

Think quorum, or the minimum required to hold a worship service: celebration of thanksgiving for God's Providence freely given. Equally represented in tithing, or 10%, mandated for the poor of our family. Is there no justice? Anywhere? The pigs grow enormous eating our children's lives.

Add to which I've been more disturbed by "The Great White Hope." Both in the person of our current President and the fictional account of Jack Johnson's life. There is for me an oddly innocent association between the persecution of either or both: Mormons or Negroes.

Add. I attended an KKK rally, as a photojournalist--self-assigned--in Connecticut long ago. The resulting images are within the archives of The International Center of Photography's archives. As requested by Cornell Capa. Nothing is hidden from God, no act no gesture devoted or criminal. The Mormons practice in secrecy rituals of intimidation hidden behind costumes similar to those worn by the KKK historically.

If I laugh at my death, it is by choice, no longer afraid of anything including my lunatic assassination by either Pro Life or Mormons dressed as savages or any and all advocates, face-to-face or by sniper rifle. My soul is apprehended and embraced by God . . . and today is a good day to die; even now; this moment. Or do I tempt some savage shit-for-brains driving a Cadillac Escalade to mutilate me into helplessness? Of course I do. Save in this; that those who kill or maim do so to their peril.

i am but a voice calling in the desert; during this time of chaos; a tsunami of "information;" willing to pronounce what I see. Representative of anyone other than myself. Willing to gladly bear the consequences of my truth as Jesus did on the cross; or the court of public opinion.

Can Mr. Bait and Switch: Governor Mitt Romney and House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI), the same combo, as like Bush/Cheney, sincerely believe The American People will, once again fall victim to the same tactics?

Regardless of all my rage against Bush/Cheney as like "Howdy Doody and Uncle Bob;" I am now calm and calculating. Inspired to publish without regard of any peril for my personal truth--meaning merely what I am willing to live and die for. And for those who finance and thus prostitute the minds and souls of all who purport to rule/publicly serve/govern/pontificate there is no place in life or death; heaven or hell, that I will not pursue you to your anguish for ever having been born.

My death is inconsequential to me.
Yet the enslavement, is, of all women and children to your agenda, you know who you are. As yet anonymous and hidden; will wish that hell was a gated community for your pleasure. These are not my children but God's . . . as you are; should only you stop and listen to your heart smelling the roses instead of destroying them.

VOTE!

121013 06:31 The Great White Hope
©2012 by Jack Spratt - All Rights Reserved