Sometimes I laugh when I watch politicians or the president's mouthpiece at the podium of a press conference answering questions. When an answer begins with, "Let me be perfectly clear..." Usually, precedes the proverbial word salad that may, or may not have tidbits of truth embedded. And any truth is not guaranteed. So, the next time you hear, "Let me be clear..." Rest assured clarity is not the goal.

Or how about, "With all due respect..." That usually means that the recipient of the response is about to be disrespected in a pseudo-respectful manner.

It's a truly fun way to listen to a press conference

And, let me be clear: I mean that with all due respect.

 

 

 

A Flash In Time

 This was first published in 2015. I thought it was worth a rerun.

A Flash In Time

As a novelist, there are moments when inspiration turns away from the project at hand. It doesn’t go away, simply takes an abrupt turn. It might be the laugh of a child, the bark of a squirrel, the sight of a jet so high that it appears to move across the sky like a slug leaving its trail or, it might simply be that third glass of wine. The reason really doesn’t matter. It’s just the mechanism, the switch-flip that turns it on. The mind is active, reeling and still wants to record thoughts—a stream of consciousness thing that usually is best saved for personal journals and diaries that has nothing to do with the draft in progress.

A few months back, I was working on the draft of a romantic thriller, “Call Me Mikki”(Sage Books Publishing).I happened to be searching for a better word to describe a scene, but I had been working on it for several hours and it had become difficult to continue concentrating. And then, my mind began to drift and my eyes moved over the word “universe”. It struck me how overused it is and how underappreciated is the infinite depth of that word and what it represents.

I won’t detail the entire path of this philosophical journey that lasted only a couple of minutes, other than to add that I shuddered when that thought stream ended.

I saved my work and pulled up a blank page, and then began to type. I am no poet. I will not make comments about this for good or bad. I posted it once on Facebook and, this morning, pulled it up and read it again. So, I’m sharing it again. What came out of me in about five minutes surprised me:

If I tiptoe lightly enough on the stars to the end of the universe

Will anyone notice that I’ve made the journey?

Comets fly, suns burst, and black holes suck in all that time has wrought

But I will continue skipping, one light source to the next.

Only this stream dictates a time of rest, when to lay down shield and spear,

Taking comfort that He has known from step one where the journey ends.

I am me, one, and many.

We give what we have. Take what we must. But leave behind the best of what we were.

Eternity is what it is. I am but a flash in time.

I hope you enjoy your day and the rest of your life—your flash in time.