She peers out from inside the mountain. The mountain is new, created by volcanoes and the hot lava of a newly forming planet, but our Undergod doesn’t care. She and the mountain are one, and if part of her has joined the hot, then cooling lava, silt, and gravel on its way to the ocean, it’s a journey that intrigues her. It’s a kind of travel after all. She is spreading. She is considering becoming the ocean floor when her mountain is finally worn completely away. Wider, looser, a bit more ebbing and flowing as she feels the weight of all that water overhead, and above the water–sky. And something else, someone else, up there in the sky? A companion perhaps? She feels a heat return.
Is this creation or just fantasy? Surely you have your own creation myth. This is why we write, after all.
3 Responses
Well said!! I agree, even though I’m not like you, I admit – I don’t always follow rules. I believed my parents when they said, “some rules were meant to be broken.” They then followed up with, “Do as I say, not as I do!” However, like many teenagers, I suffered from the common disease called Mother Deafness, and I missed the latter part of that lesson.
Most of the broken rules had to do with minor issues – it truly does make you feel better when you kick the TV when it doesn’t work, or giving a passing bid in bridge when you have more than enough points to bid, therefore, totally screwing up your partner.
But, the important stuff like paying bills, taxes and respect for human life – those were rules not to be broken.
One of the inequalities I see in our justice system, is that the punishment doesn’t necessarily equal the crime for select parts of our society. Harsher sentences for people of color, or the poor because they can’t pay for the legal representation that wealthier people are able to procure.
I don’t have a legal background, but I have family members and friends that are criminal defense attorneys, private practice and pubic defenders. Although they know that many of their clients are guilty of a crime, they work hard to make sure the punishment fits the crime, extenuating circumstances are considered – and everyone, is entitled to a proper and vigorous defense.
Watching today’s climate and judicial choices, I am not sure that equal justice for all will continue to something we can rely on – or, be proud of.
Bravo, Abigail! May you continue to post.
The Myth that I would like to debunk is that in America, we have Equal Justice under the Law. I spent almost 20 years as a researcher/ Para Legal in a law firm, And now I teach classes in my county jail. I know first hand that Justice is not always blind…..sometimes, a buck or two can persuade her to open at least one eye in favor of one side over another.
As stated in Genesis, God gave humans dominion over all the creatures of the earth……….Except me. I have NEVER been dominant over one of my pets. In the Seventies, I got hooked on Guiding Light because it was my pet goat’s favorite Soap Opera. I once spent a week in a sleeping bag, slumbering with my pet pig because he was afraid of a spider. A drop of rain never hit one of my horses because I didn’t want them to catch a cold. I would get drenched while getting them all cozy in their stalls. And now, a ten pound Maltese named Zoey totally runs my life.
I have never been The Alpha Dog…or a pack leader. At nearly 65 years old, I still believe that I could get grounded at any moment, even though my parents have long since gone to their heavenly home. I am an obedient follower.
I will snake through a maze of rope and stanchions at the bank even though I am the only customer in the bank. I actually count all the items in my cart so as not to go over the limit in the Express lane at Krogers. I have never, ever removed a tag from a pillow or mattress for fear of going to Bedding Prison.
Last summer, I came upon a line of cars that were all pulled over to the side of the road, so they could give right of way to an emergency vehicle. I pulled over behind the last car in line, put on my blinkers and waited for the Ambulance or Fire Truck pass. I waited there for over five minutes. Nothing passed us, not even a regular car. But I continued to patiently wait. Finally, I took a closer look at the line ahead of me. All of the other “pulled-over” cars were without drivers. It turns out that their subdivision was being re-paved and the inhabitants were instructed to park on the berm of the road and to walk into their houses until the paving job was done. That is ten minutes of my life that are gone forever….but, as stated before, I am a rule follower…..to a fault.
We constantly hear the lofty phrase that “We are a nation of laws”. Our way of life depends on everyone being governed by those laws. We are a just people. Lately, I have begun to question those inspiring words. Are we truly all equal under the law? Is justice really given out in equal measure to all of us or does money and power have influence on that Justice? If you break a law in the hallowed halls of Washington D,C. Are you treated just like a scoundrel in Goshen Indiana.
Having spent much time involved with the Jail Ministry of Elkhart County, I now believe there is a tangible imbalance in our legal system in this country. Right is right and wrong is wrong is easier said than done. We should strive to bring balance and equity back into our Justice System; I fear if we do not, our Nation will be greatly compromised in a profound way.