Lensdiary

At the appointed time Mother Nature, in her corporal form, visited Herb and Rosemary, to claim their son Rock for herself, as was promised sixteen years ago. After a tearful parting with his parents Rock followed Mother Nature into the unknown, wondering how his future was destined to unfold. They travelled for three weeks living off the fruits of the land until they arrived at the edge of a dense forest. Mother Nature turned to Rock and commanded him to enter the forest alone and she would return for him in three year’s time.

Rock was intimidated by the prospect of entering these ancient woods, he had lived a carefree life, in the open air, under the sun, tending his parents garden and vegetable patches. This was a different side of the nature he was used to. He steeled himself and stepped tentatively into the forest. The air immediately changed becoming thick and damp, heavy with the scent of wet earth. He felt the forests indifference as he staggered through decaying leaves, moss and broken branches. After walking for half an hour he became disoriented, and overcome with a sense of isolation sat down and wept.

Rock became aware of the light beginning to fade and his survival instinct kicked in. His first thought was of shelter so he collected branches and built a lean to against an overhanging rock, placing leaves and pine needles inside for insulation. Satisfied with his accomplishment he passed out, oblivious to the forest and its inherent danger.

Time passed with Rock picking up new skills, maneuvering a fire drill to make fire, mapping out sources of water from the fast flowing forest streams, identifying food sources, as edible berries, nuts, dandelions, insects and grubs supplemented with fish from the streams. He initiated a daily routine of exploration, and soon became familiar with the forest and its inhabitants. He came to love the forest, the solitude, the peacefulness, the harmony, he built an altar to Gaia and meditated daily on the wonders of nature. He came to understand that the Forest was a dynamic, self sustaining system where life and environment are inseparable and often pondered where the human element entered the equation.

After three years Mother Nature returned and she and Rock continued on their journey.

You know, being on WordPress has really helped me with my story writing, one day soon I’m going to write the greatest story ever told.

I’m sorry to burst your balloon but isn’t that already done, the bible, and a movie as well.

You are so ignorant, for a start it’s burst your bubble, not balloon, at least get a handle on your idioms.

At the risk of dashing your hopes, a few simple stories on WordPress doesn’t make you the next J.K. Rowling.

As Yeats so beautifully wrote, but I being poor have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Dear little sister, you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill, I am just trying to explain the reality of a writer, there are millions of you, all vying for the greatest story ever told.

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Some people call it coincidence, I like to call it the hidden hand of God shaping and moulding our lives, such was the case when my job was terminated four months after the triplets were born.

My daughter birthed triplets, two girls and a boy, three months premature, weighing 2 lbs each, immediately placed in incubators, enjoying the hospitality of the hospital for a further ten weeks.

My daughter also had a 15 month old son, and a family debate issued around finances, whether my daughter could return to work, she’s a teacher, and afford to pay for day care for four toddlers.

Four months after the triplets were born I was terminated from the company I had worked at for 30 years, and my daughter asked if my wife and I would be willing to look after our four grandchildren because she couldn’t afford to quit her job and could not afford daycare.

After a lengthy discussion my wife and I agreed and eventually ended up looking after them 11 hours a day for 13 years, including a fifth child born five years later.

There are many stories I could tell of those 13 years, but one in particular stands out when I took them to a park and we were caught in a summer storm with thunder and lightning crashing down around us while we were perched under the slide for shelter, enduring the onslaught for ten minutes, with eight tiny hands gripping my legs and screaming at the top of their lungs, we were soaked, but we survived.

He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

In the confessional with Father O’Dwyer, Saturday, 5:00 p.m. his weekly ritual.

“ Bless me father for I have sinned in thought, word and deed. It has been one week since my last confession”.

Please continue my son.

“ In my thoughts I have sinned with my best friend’s wife. I know she likes me because of the way she looks at me, her knowing glances, her attentiveness to my words, and I have sexual fantasies which I deeply regret”.

Please continue my son.

“ In my words I regret my responses on social media. But users are so pathetic in their attempt to justify their state of being that I can’t hold back in condemning them”.

Please continue my son

“ In my deeds I don’t do enough to call out the injustices of this world because it may affect my status and hurt my lifestyle”.

I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For your penance say three decades of the rosary. Go in peace my son to love and revere the Lord.

Feeling refreshed and high in spirit he drove his car towards home and entered the highway. Here was that difficult merge, he sped up to pass the car driving parallel to him, but the other car also sped up and passed him as he was trying to merge. Enraged he swerved to the left and cut in front of the car. He braked and watched in satisfaction as the car behind him adjusted accordingly. He sped up and braked again, and again, and again. Stupid bloody, drivers they need to be taught a lesson in courtesy on the road.

He remembered his wife had asked him to pick up diapers for their new born. Pulling into the pharmacy he searched for a parking spot. The parking lot was crowded but he managed to squeeze his car into a tight space. Upon returning from his errand a livid woman was cursing him for parking so close to her car that she could not open her door. He ranted at her for not parking equally between the yellow parking lines and what else did she expect for her thoughtlessness.

Upon returning home he deposited the diapers in the bathroom and proceeded to the fridge for a beer. His wife, the mother of six children, greeted him in the kitchen. “ I really need your help, the kids have been a handful all day, I just need a minute to myself”. He replied “ What about me, I’ve had a rough week at work, I know my boss hates me, and is angling to get me fired. I’m trying to put food on the table for you and the kids. I need my downtime too.”

He took his beer to the garage for peace and quiet and to get away from the family.

He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

So after three years from WordPress I decided to rejoin. My first week’s activities.

1. I managed to write two blogs.
2. I feel like I’m in two separate universes as my site, home page etc, bears absolutely no relationship to my actual blog site. In order to see what is going on I have to act like a subscriber and go on a search engine to log in to my blog.
3. I wrote for girlieontheedge six sentence story but could not upload my blog to the inlinkz site. For some reason it would just upload my photo library but not the actual blog I had written
4. When I received emails from the blogs I follow I had to keep typing my blog address in order to comment.
5. I tried to leave a comment on one site, but it would not accept the comment.
6. I went on a site which I liked and tried to follow but could not find a follow button.
7. The first few days were very frustrating because whenever I tried to comment or change my page I was told my domain was suspended because I had not received verification from ICANN. I contacted WordPress and they said I was verified, but eventually they sorted it out for me.
8. I tried to contact the WordPress help page a number of times but a green x would turn up after I input my question and not allow me to push the response button.
9. WordPress sent me a questionnaire to complete which I did extensively, and then answered with, “this is helpful for future updates to the system”. Not directly addressing my problems.
10. Three years ago when I was on this system I had none of these problems. So what has changed. Is the system getting worse or am I getting senile. Only time will tell.

Discussion at the dinner table between a teenage daughter and her mother.

Was that your brilliant plan to save the planet, spraying your art teacher with green paint.

For your information, my brilliant plan was not to save the planet but to erase white privilege and its patriarchal hold on society.

Well, for your age you showed a distinct lack of maturity and what kind of example does that set for the family.

After being held down so long by your father with his dominating ways and criticism of everything I tried to do, I’m revelling in my freedom.

That’s okay, mom, but I think you need a break from social media.

Herb was enjoying his day at the Chelsea Flower Show. Oblivious to the crowded human element, he fixed his eyes on the flowers, breathing in their intoxicating blooms, hypnotized by their beauty and colour. Rosemary was also enchanted with the Chelsea Flower Show, she was a devotee of Gaia, and felt the ancient Goddess’s presence more keenly when surrounded by flowers. She closed her eyes and offered a silent prayer to Gaia and her helper Mother Nature.

Blissfuly unaware of their surroundings Herb and Rosemary bumped into each other, and apologized profusely. Apologies accepted they hesitantly introduced themselves and began to talk about their love for flowers, and the various flower shows they had toured throughout the year. They formed a friendship which bloomed, and eventually blossomed into love and marriage. They had eight children, all girls, Rose, Violet, Daisy, Petunia, Poppy, April, May and June.

Gaia was sent by God at creation to safeguard Earth’s biosphere. God was a little mistrustful of humans after that unfortunate episode in the Garden of Eden and felt that humans could cause untold chaos if not kept in check. Gaia was given strict instructions to ensure that humans never upset the natural balance and was given divine authority to correct any imbalance that occurred. In order to do this Gaia created a helper, Mother Nature, and Gaia gave her the power to command the elements, and sustain life.

Rosemary deeply wanted a son, she loved her daughter’s but felt the time was fast approaching when no seed would take root and so prayed to Gaia and Mother Nature to give her a son. Gaia heard Rosemary’s prayer and sent Mother Nature to see if Rosemary was worthy of Gaia’s blessing.

Rosemary was tending her garden of herbs when she felt a presence, and turning around collapsed in awe as Mother Nature was revealed in all her glory. Mother Nature touched Rosemary’s brow and perceiving that Rosemary was completely devoted to the cause of preserving nature for future generations she placed her hand on Rosemary’s womb planting a seed inside her. She told Rosemary that she would give birth to a son and Rosemary could raise him for sixteen years and then Mother Nature would return and claim him for her own. For Mother Nature had a special task for him.

Please forgive the flowery language used in writing this whimsical fantasy.

I’ve been absent from WordPress for three years, but I’m trying to write again. Oh well, let’s see how it goes.

My granddaughter, Brianna, grade 12, and I converse daily on her English assignments. She’s writing a novella on pirates and an evil spirit. She has a poetry assignment and introduced me to Villanelle. I was intrigued and tried my third attempt at poetry in three years.

Earlier that day I had occasion to have words with an obnoxious neighbor who was blasting rap and heavy metal music from a radio, disturbing the quiet of the neighborhood. He’d consumed his fair share of alcohol, which didn’t help our discussion. Hence my topic for the Villanelle.

God of Peace sing your song
Let your rhythm sooth my soul
May we learn to get along

So much in this world is wrong
We dig ourselves a deeper hole
God of peace sing your song

May we learn to sing our song
Make our being whole
May we learn to get along

What am I doing wrong
That I always lose control
God of Peace sing your song

For peaceful yearnings I do long
But living takes it’s toll
May we learn to get along

I hear the sounding of the gong
That guides me to my goal
God of Peace sing your song
May we learn to get along