A Disadvantageous Marriage

            “My dear sir!  You must see how disadvantageous such a marriage would be!  She is a working girl.”

            “She is a hard-working girl, with true strength of the character.”

            “Her uncle is in trade.  And who knows who her father was?  Probably she is illegitimate.”

            “That’s ridiculous.  Her mother is too respectable for that.  She may not be the daughter of a gentleman, but she is respectable.”

            “Your son is a gentleman.  Sir, you are a gentleman.  How can you allow this?”

            “Mr. Riggs, I am a gentleman and I love my son.  My son loves her.  She is a fine girl, and—"

            “A fine girl?  A fine girl?  She is so unrefined.”

            “She is honest, and gentle, and polite.  My son loves her and I will not deny him his happiness because of questionable birth.”

            His opponent heaved a sigh.

            “Do as you will.  But my dear sir, do not say I didn’t warn you.”

            “Good-bye, Mr. Riggs.”

            “Good-bye, sir.”

Autumn Morning

            Mist hovers between the treetops and the grass.  The sun burns paths through the fog to my eyes.  The bright orange, red, yellow, and green leaves light up in the early morning sunlight.  The dewy grass sparkles and shines.

            A light breeze blows dry leaves which float to the ground, washing across the road.  Birds chirp, the fog emitting their song.

            An autumn morning is one the most beautiful things to me.

Self-Reflection

           If death’s cruel eyes stared me in the face, what would I do?  If I were under a table at Columbine, with a gun to my head, would I admit who I worshipped?

            I don’t want to be faced with that decision, but I want to know the truth in my heart.  If I am a coward, I want to know.  But do I want to risk finding out?

How Dare You?

Unknown girl

A stranger to me

And yet your name rolls of my tongue

As easily as my own

I never knew you

But she knew you

Too well

She loved you

You injured her

She was loyal to you

You hurt her

How could you do that?

I don’t know you

But grace seems unnatural

Because I know her

Too well

I love her

And you injured her

Hasn’t she enough heartache?

How dare you

Hurt her

How dare you?

Discrimination: Who are the Minorities Now?

            Throughout the history of the United States of America, tales of prejudice and oppression have ended joyously in freedom.  Determined Americans defended those who could not defend themselves.  Even when a majority favored the continuation of bigotry, those who were strong stood firm.

            Until the Civil War in the 1860s, African American men, women, and children were oppressed and sold as slaves.  Free men and women fought to save their enslaved brothers and sisters because they believed that all men were created equal, that discrimination based on color of skin was wrong.

            After the slaves were freed, however, prejudice against African Americans continued as the Ku Klux Klan terrorized innocent Americans.  Many stores refused to do business with African Americans; there were separate drinking fountains labeled “WHITE” and “COLORED.”  White men and women stood alongside activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to free African Americans from the horrible acts brought about by racism.

            In the 21^st Century, equal legal rights are bestowed upon everyone, no matter the color of skin.  A wealthy, white man is not superior to a poor, Asian American woman.  Our nation has come a long way.  We have not, however, reached perfection.

            Defenseless human beings continue to be horribly oppressed in modern-day America.  Those of us that can speak out must step up in the defense of these people, just as Abraham Lincoln defended the slaves when they had no say.  Our culture emphasizes diversity, acceptance, and freedom for all humans, no matter what.  A five-year-old child may not legally vote, but no one would let the murder of such a child pass.  We are allowing the murders of millions of children to pass without so much as a raised eyebrow.

            If my mother, with the aid of a friend, murdered me today, the country would be enraged.  No one has the right to murder—even a mother!  So why do we allow mothers to murder their unborn children? 

            My friend Zach was premature.  When he was born, his father could hold him in one hand.  At that same time, another baby was still in its mother’s womb.  That other baby had been conceived at the same time as Zach, and was the same size.  The other baby could think as well as Zach, could hear and see as well as Zach—it was just as mature as Zach.  It would be a crime to kill Zach, but the other baby’s mother had the choice to murder her own baby.  What is the difference? 

            Abortion is a shame to our nation.  In the 18^th and 19^th Centuries, certain countries were esteemed for setting the slaves free first.  May the United States be renown throughout history for giving infants life; it is their right, just as it is the right of every other human being.

What a Pointless Life

Boys, girls, men, women

Scratching, sketching, working, walking

Behind desks, behind screens

Thinking, stressing, crying, working

Why do we do what we do?

Why do we ruin today

To gain something tomorrow?

But when tomorrow is today,

We are still thinking of tomorrow

What kind of life is this,

Where we live in the future

Always out of reach?

Do I write when I want to sing?

So I can sing when I want to sing?

But will I?

When I can sing, will I sing,

Or will I work so I can sing on Sunday,

But on Sunday I work so I can sing on Monday

What a pointless life,

When we do not enjoy what we have earned!

Waitin' on the Waves

            Out of sight, out of mind.  Mountains of waves, valleys of water.  The ocean, impenetrable, prevailing, monstrous.  It’s between us.

            If I had a skiff, could I sail to you?  But would I care…do I think of you?  When you’re not at my elbow, when you’re not before my eyes, you’re not as much in my thoughts.  This morning I saw your words, and I remembered you.  But I couldn’t hear your voice—it was lost in the ocean wind.  I see your face, but it’s still and lifeless.  I only get shadows of the real you.

            But I want you in the flesh!  I want to hold your hand, I want to hear your voice, I want to see your smile.  I want to be with you.  Why did you have to go away—and without me?  That horrible sea divides us, but one day it’ll disappear, and we’ll be together again, and I’ll hold your hand, I’ll hear your voice, I’ll see your smile.  One day, one day…  I just have to wait, and wait…and wait.

Cat and Mouse

            A young, twig of a girl with blond hair and a serene expression was taking a stroll by the wall.  He looked down at her from a second-story window, studying every movement she made.  He watched the way the wind blew her hair, the way her hands rested on her hips, the way her body moved with each step.  My, but she was a pretty girl!  He walked into the next room and continued to watch her out the window.  His breath fogged up the glass.

            He was on her mind, too, though not before her eyes.  But his face was in her head, and his voice, and his expressions.  Her lips moved silently; her eyebrows quivered.

            Suddenly, her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the grass.  He wiped the glass clean and watched her lie there, his forehead wrinkling.

Up From Mormonism: Gloria Keeling

            Gloria Keeling grew up in Tooele, Utah; her dad was a bishop in the Mormon church.

            “Growing up, I really liked [church],” she said.  But, “I don’t think I understood anything [about Mormon beliefs] because they don’t really encourage you to question stuff.”  When she was in the Mormon church, Gloria didn’t question her beliefs; she accepted all the things she had always been taught.  But after she got married and moved away from Utah, the love in a mainstream Christian church caused her to lean in that direction.

            For a while, Gloria and her husband attended both a Mormon church and a mainstream Christian church.  Suffering from extreme depression, she even had to be hospitalized.  “A lot of Mormons do struggle with depression,” because the faith causes one to feel very guilty.

            “I just felt like I was going to hell,” Gloria said.  People would tell her that she was going to hell.  “I was hearing the truth [in the Christian church],” she said, “but I was really defensive.”

            Having always felt depressed and guilty because she believed she had to earn her salvation, Gloria was relieved by love and grace she found in mainstream Christianity.  The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints teaches that in order to get to the highest levels of heaven, one must do specific good works.  Mainstream Christians, however, believe that salvation is a free gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).  To Gloria, this difference was huge.

            “[My emotional health] changed a lot because I felt love, and felt grace, because I didn’t have to do all these things,” she said.  Since Gloria pulled away from Mormonism, she has come to love her faith more and more.  As a mainstream Christian, she is more eager to learn—to pray and to read her Bible.  She likes her faith more now than she did as Mormon.

            Another difference that Gloria has noticed between Mormonism and mainstream Christianity is in the heart of church leaders.  Gloria’s father was a Mormon bishop, so she was familiar with Mormon church leaders at all levels.  She believes that local church leaders—lower down on the hierarchy—were deceived.  They sincerely believed and taught certain things, but they had been deceived.  Higher up, church leaders were dishonest, Gloria said, and they took advantage of people.  The Mormon church is rich and powerful, especially in the state of Utah.  Growing up, Gloria was lied to by her church leaders, but now she feels her church leaders—at any level—are never dishonest.

            Gloria did not tell her family that she had turned away from Mormonism for some time, but eventually when they would come visit it was hard to hide.  Although she was afraid of their reaction, it turned out that her fears were unfounded.  “They were very loving, and understood,” she said.  Now, she said, “They treat me good, but I’m still the black sheep of the family.”  Her sister is jealous of her freedom, because Mormons have so many strict rules—against coffee and things—but Gloria doesn’t have to earn her salvation.

            “You don’t need to feel guilty about [your mistakes],” Gloria says.  “God loves you and it’s by his grace you are saved.”