Happily Ever After

I made the Newspaper! Read IT! I wrote the peice myself.and the News Watchman printed it word for word!

I have entered different types of writing contests during the last two- three years. With the exception of receiving a 'door prize' from the Oprah site, this is my first success.

In May, Blog.com announced a contest in the hopes of finding its new promotional slogan, a winning tagline. Over two hundred taglines were received. Out of this, ten entries were selected as winners. Out of the ten, one was mine, 'your world, our eyes'.

As a prize, a very generous one I think, was five free years of a Platinum Blog.com account. A prize that I have promised myself not to waste. A prize that I couldn't have afforded no matter how much it would help my writing career.

I told a Friend today about the win. She said, "I guess you're more talented than we all thought!" If she would read what I write instead of sitting it aside with the promise to read it later, She would know. I know she never reads books or anything except the phone bill, but I guess I wanted to hear someone else say it was good, or that it needed work.

I asked her why she said that. I shouldn't have been surprised. I guess when you hear lots of people talk about sky high ideas that never get off the ground, a pessimistic attitude develops toward such fantasies.

I guess I'll try to keep my writing geared at the world that likes to read. After all, one success deserves another! And another! And another!

The following poem is dedicated to Destiny Zimmerman. Born March 17, 2005- Died June 7, 2005 at the murderous hands of Robby L Rutter, age 27

The face we show and the faces we see,  are not as solid as the dreams we dream.

They are but an illusion of images, a curtain with which to hide, a caring smile to wear while the damage is denied.

So it is not within the eyes to look, nor is it within a smile, to see the deeds behind his face, you look at the broken child.

He hid behind the gentle facade, and the loving mother he decieved. Now her precious Destiny is laid, beneath the flowers and the grass so green. 

To him destiny comes like a shadow slithering on the black moon. Both unseen and unheard, in the void it stirs, hungry for his soul in its tomb.

Scream and fight as hard as he might, no mercy he'll receive. For in the judges chamber and within the hearts of men, there's no forgiveness to be had, and neither is sympathy.

And within the jailer's chamber, there's little forgiveness to give. Like trying to catch fire, through a flour sive.

Destiny is gone, and the mother greives. Because she looked into his face, and not at his evil deeds.

Please, watch your children. The choice to pull the plug on your child's life support is more terrible than you could imagine. Even more so if the child isn't sick with some disease, but rather the victim of abuse. If you are being abused yourself, take your children and leave immediatly! A 'sorry' now will be meaningless when it is too late.

Writers of every type face brain whiteouts from time to time. If you have ever sat staring at a blank page while trying to think of what to put on it, you have been a victim of whiteout.

Whiteouts are not to be confused with common Writer's Block. The temporary infliction of Writers Block induces laziness, where as whiteouts is the mental form of clogged arteries. It can last for years with only short reprieves. Writer's have been known to spend hundreds of dollars in search of an instant cure. Searching in tropics, forests, and other get-away spots for the cure, they are usually left penniless and disappointed.

Whiteouts usually last only a matter of hours although, without proper care in extreme cases, the condition can cause career damage. Some writers have tried to ignore the problem and ultimately wrote such bombs as Loving Dust Bunnies and One More for the Trail.

If you or a loved one is victimized by its parasitic presence , there is not many safe avenues of action other than eating a bowl of alphabet soup or cereal until the symptoms of whiteout have been banished. As a low calorie alternative, shows like Sesame Street or other toddler oriented programs can be watched, permitting they are on the Recommended Programs for Learning list.

In the event that this has no effect, the patient might consider more unconventional treatment. The public library houses some of the best bookworms within its rows of literature. The enthusiastic tendencies of such can be liberally administered in doses of two hour visits twice a day until whiteout has cleared up. Caution should be respected when dealing with librarians as they do have the tendency to fine for unapproved usage time for services and materials.

It is presumed that victims, primarily those with deadlines, who do not seek treatment may become victims of spontaneous combustion also. This theory is not documented with any scientific facts and still remains an urban legend to this day.

One note-worthy case of spontaneous combustion occurred during a book signing in a small Ohio town of the U.S.. This event is still under investigation, but the unofficial word is that the writer did not burn do to Whiteout, but rather from a unhappy reader that threw the writer's work at him after lighting it with gas and matches.

Whiteout is not discriminatory. Whiteout can strike at any time, to anyone. So please don't treat those that have contracted it as undesirable or contagious. Remember to show respect, because next time it could be you suffering.

For more information on this condition, please call your local Muse. If it is an emergency situation, meaning you are on fire at this moment, run to the nearest water hole and jump in. After the danger has passed, you can then proceed with prior instructions.