Upon Awakening



Writers and artists will tell you that the Muse visits at the most unpredictable times. It is all too true. Most often, my Muse visits in the wee hours of morning before dog or human is up. Or, she comes wistfully whispering lines of poetry or prose as I am tooling down the highway with no place to stop.

As a young student, writing was assigned an hour a day by the my teachers. The idea of Muse, or inspiration, or creativity somehow escaped their drive to "teach" us to write. I remember the exasperation one of my instructors had when after an hour of sitting with blank sheet and pen in hand, not so much as a scratch had been placed on the paper. "But Sister," I said, "I just don't feel inspired." You can imagine the response I got!

Funny, all those years ago, I had been told I would never be a "real" writer, whatever that is. Fortunately for me, I had a mother who believed that if you put pen to paper linking words in a way that informs, entertains, encourages or illuminates, you are a writer. My identity as a writer has never suffered from others inability to see my creativity.

Jane Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist wrote, "It is often said that thekey to success is knowing what you want, but I think, rather, that the key to sucess is daring to want what good sense tells you that you cannot have." Good sense told me that a kid from the projects of Boston did not become a writer, or a teacher, or a lot of other things. But, I believed from age five that I was a writer. Therefore, I am.

This morning at dawn, I was awakened by a cacophone of bird song. Louder than my alarm clock, the birds, and my Muse woke me with the following words tumbling from my semi-conscious mind.

Wake up!

The collective call
Shatters the somatic silence
As the first rays of fiery radiance
Slip stealthily over the mountain top.

Morning splendor mounts the starry void,
Bringing dawn bashfully down into the valley.

© 6/29/07 Linda Rhinehart Neas



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Comments

Erika Cruvinel said…
Dear linda
You made my day! It feels so good to know that we can make a difference in someone's life, doesn't it?
Your blog is beautiful and you are a professional writer, a great one really!
Warmly from your Brazilian friend
Erika Cruvinel
Mônica said…
Hi Linda!
I'm not sure I can translate José Saramago's words perfectly, but he said something like "We are all writers. It's just that some people write, and some don't!" ("Somos todos escritores. Só que uns escrevem, outros não!").
Thank you for your inspiring words and congratulations on your blog!
Um abraço do Brasil,
Mônica
Hala said…
Hello, Linda,
You ARE a professional writer!
Thank you for your words that immediately went into my heart!
You inspired me too!
Hala.Khartoum,Sudan.
angelesb said…
Congratulatioons on your firts six months as a blogger.
you have an excellent and so enjoyable blog.
You are a great writer :-)
Regards
Angeles Berman from Mèxico
Kath Fearing said…
I love the way women support each other, letting us know how good we can be at whatever we are.
Hi, Kath!

Yes, for many years, women supported each other in hundreds of tiny, yet important ways. We lost that ability for a bit while we were all burning bras and crashing through the glass ceiling. It is good to find that the support system was stronger than our flight into uncharted waters.

Thank you for your support, dear sister/friend!
Kath Fearing said…
Linda, Thanks for your supportive comment on my blog. Speaking in front of groups, or with kids, is something I think that just takes practice. But it's a nice problem to have. Love you.

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