Spirit Daughter

My grandmother died on Saturday. To say she was a remarkable person is such an understatement, it's almost criminal. Half Native American, but without access to that part of her culture, she was adopted and then put in and out of orphanages. After a childhood harder than I can imagine, she found her soul's own mate and raised twelve children with him (ten of their own and two more they adopted when her body gave out). She has lived for years in physical pain and increasing immobility, lovingly cared for by her daughter, Sue, and other close family. Her outlook was always bright, her disposition, happy. She loved her children, her grandchildren, her great grandchildren. She loved to hear us sing to her.

I don't worry about her. I know she's no longer in pain, that she is with those who love her, and with us. Still, I will miss her.

I haven't written poetry in a long time, but I wrote this for my grandmother, Jeanne.

Spirit Daughter

Spirit daughter, tiny feet,
Treads the path alone
Dancing to a special beat
Off to find a home.
Spirit daughter, we are with you
Where'er you may roam
Spirit daughter, hear our singing
You are not alone.

Spirit daughter, heart so brave,
Though the world is cold
Hungry, shunned, unwanted slave
Though she's but years old.
Spirit daughter, we are with you
In your cage of stone.
Spirit daughter, hear our singing
You are not alone.

Spirit daughter, smile so sweet,
Laughing through the pain,
Warming others with her heat,
Healing them like rain.
Spirit daughter, we are with you
As you make hell home.
Spirit daughter, hear our singing
You are not alone.

Spirit daughter, gleaming soul,
Finds her hearts own mate
Finds a love that asks no toll
And offers a clean slate.
Spirit daughter, we are with you
As your heart has flown.
Spirit daughter, hear our singing
You are not alone.

Spirit daughter, mother's love,
Children at your breast.
They're the magic you dreamed of
Through your fearsome tests
Spirit daughter, we are with you
Love you'd never known.
Spirit daughter, hear our singing
You are not alone.

Spirit daughter, spirit's strong,
Children find their way.
Leaning on the right and wrong
You'd tried to teach each day.
Spirit daughter, we are with you
Ah, the seeds you've sown.
Spirit daughter, hear our singing
You are not alone.

Spirit daughter, body's pain,
And a late life's loss.
Sons and husband gone again
Your body is your cross.
Spirit daughter, we are with you
Even when you moan.
Spirit daughter, hear our singing
You are not alone.

Spirit daughter, life's release,
To tread another way
Spirits wait you, offer peace
And a painless day.
Spirit daughter, we are with you
Let us bring you home.
Spirit daughter, hear our singing
You are not alone.

This was also one of my grandmother's favorite songs:

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Thieving Thursday: EC and Polanski

First, let me tell you I appreciate the responses so far on yesterday’s blog, “What Is Love?” To be honest, I was expecting different answers than I’ve had so far, so it’s been a good experience for me. I’m learning. However, if you haven’t put in your two cents yet, there’s still plenty of opportunity. I really want to know what you think.

Normally, I pick a single comment I’ve made elsewhere and go with that. However, since one could affect those that frequent my blog, today I’m making an exception. So, first, Relax Max at Clarity 2009 clued me in to the latest headache at Entrecard. Now, I’ve been using EC since I got into blogging. I don’t hang out in forums or do anything clever, but I often use the toolbar to keep track of some blogs I’ve found interesting but wasn’t quite enamored with enough to put on my bloglist. But, for traffic building, I’m not too worried. My philosophy, from the first, for this blog has been quality rather than quantity and I mean that with regards to viewers, too. I don’t have advertising so the number of readers is largely immaterial. The interaction with those that comment (who are almost universally some of the smartest people ever) is what I really like about blogging and I don’t need hundreds of hits to get that interaction.

So, when I was told paid ads will be compulsory, I decided EC had done me all the good it was going to do. My widgets are gone and won’t be back. By all means, if you liked coming here, bookmark me. I'd love to see you. I love to have readers, but I’m not interesting in being strong-armed for advertising that buys me nothing in return.

Secondly, Roman Polanski. I don’t do celebrity gossip so, other than having vaguely heard the name before, the story headlines about Roman Polanski were brushed over. Why would I care what’s going on with a director I have barely heard of? Predator Press (and a few other sites) convinced me that this was more than I realized and I went looking for more information.

Sick.

Folks, I have no dog in this fight. If it had been my daughter, he would not have lived to stand trial (and I likely would have received the death penalty myself, but some things are worth dying for). I looked over his filmography and was entirely disinterested. The few of his films I’ve seen I have not enjoyed.

But the two have nothing to do with each other. What’s disgusting is not that he’s being dragged to court after wandering around free for thirty years, not that the judge decided to make him do actual jail time for the sexual crime he committed against a child despite the plea bargain, what’s disgusting is that this heinous crime was ever plea bargained in the first place or that no one has stepped up to see justice done in the past thirty years.

I don’t care if he’s made great films – he could be the Michelangelo or Mozart of films and it wouldn’t matter – no one has the right to do as he did. As a general rule, when a celebrity cheats on his/her spouse or gets a pocket of cellulite, has a political opinion I don’t agree with, I just couldn’t care less. If celebrities want to be stupid, I can’t stop them. And it’s none of my business. If they do something stupid to themselves and set a bad example, I don’t let that bother me. For instance, I don’t think Michael Phelps owed the world a squeaky clean image.

But someone who forces a child to have sex after ploying her with wine and drugs – that’s a monster. We lock them up for a reason. If there was real justice, he would never have had the opportunity to escape, he would have stood up for all the charges against him at the time instead of the most minor and no one would have sheltered him from justice. You folks who are defending him because of his “genius,” what the hell are you thinking?

He thinks it ought to be over? He should have taken his punishment when he had the chance and saved his victim several decades of scrutiny and pain. That’s just raping her over again.

Throw the book at the bastard.

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What is Love?

"In a world without love, it is better to be dead." - Count Dracula, Love at First Bite

Old topic, often kicked around, but, hey, I’m a traditional kind of gal so I’m kicking it around again. Partly because I’m trying to understand things in my real life (though not all of these questions apply). Partly because I write characters and, if I have a skewed notion of love, it can warp my fiction.

So, since I have a blog devoted to answering your questions, in this one I’m posing a question. What is love to you?

Now, don’t panic. Such an open-ended question can be a brain-breaker so I’m going to give you some examples/more specific questions on what I mean and what I’m trying to understand.

• Do you think you can truly love someone without being vulnerable to hurt from them? In other words, can you protect yourself from any emotional harm from another person and still love them wholeheartedly?
• If you believe you can remain invulnerable and still love, what makes what you feel love? How do you know something’s love if another person has no power to affect your happiness?
• Do you think love is something you can dictate and control?
• Do you think self-sacrifice is an inherent part of love – putting someone else’s happiness above your own – or is that notion archaic, codependent and/or warped?
• Noting that everyone’s different, is there anything someone can do that would demonstrably prove (in your mind) he/she does not love someone else?
• Is there anything one can do that would demonstrably prove he/she does love someone else?
• What are the features in a love story, whether real or in fiction that you find most compelling?
• How important is physical love to romantic love? Can someone be physically unfaithful but emotionally faithful? Can someone be emotionally unfaithful but physically faithful? Which is more important? Why is faithfulness important and would it be less important if your partner were entirely honest about it?
• If you need/love someone more than he/she needs/loves you (even if he/she does need/love you), does that mean there is no real future for your relationship?
• Can two people define love differently and still be happy together? Or is that par for the course?

Betcha didn’t think there’d be a quiz, did you? I’d appreciate any feedback you can give me. I don’t know if there are any right answers, but I’m curious to see if my own views on love are skewed from reality (or, rather, what others think) or indicative.

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