blacklieder - stories

I used to think that writing was a real pain in the neck. I never wrote when I was in college; it require way too much thought and concentration on my part. Besides, most of my time was spent in the print shop, making flyers, or in the rehearsal studio, practising scales and arpeggios. I had no time for writing. When I got to Graduate school, I realized that writing was much more important than I initially thought. I began to take it more seriously, and tried to put some serious effort into it. It wasn't easy at first; I had no natural talent for it. It didn't occur to me to simply write what I thought, even if it wasn't all that organized. The more I wrote, the easier it became. Before I knew it, I was writing voluminously. Now the only thing that stops me for writing is time, eating and sleeping. Oh, bother. I've published a couple of times in a few newsletters. I'm looking to publish in the New Yorker or some other periodical for literature, but I'm hoping to get a book published as well. I happen to agree with Stephen King, who says that Writing is telepathy. It is the only artform where you can describe something to someone and they'll know exactly what you mean.
PURPOSE by Antonio Jacobs I took the wrong train one morning, and wound up in the wrong part of the Bronx. While I was trying to find my way back to where I thought I needed to be, I was stopped by a woman with a toddler, frantically asking me in Spanish where Baychester was. I was able to help her (I think), despite my limited knowledge of both Spanish and the Bronx. I then made my way back to the train and to my destination. In my way of thinking, that may have been my defining moment on this planet. All my moments of life and learning, my prayers and experience leading up to that sixty second conversation in espanol del mal. That one encounter could be the reason I was born. Everyone on Earth is here for one purpose only, and once they have fulfilled their purpose, the rest is gravy. If that is true, then there are two questions: how do we know when that defining moment is? And, what do we do with the rest of our lives. These two questions are intertwined. We don't know when that defining moment will happen. It could be at birth, and it could be on our death bed; there's no way to be certain. You may have big moments in your life that are contenders for that defining moment, but I also believe that the moment could be something innocuous - like giving bad directions. As far as what you do with your life, that's entirely up to you. Since none of us really know what or when or defining moment is, you must constantly be ready for it. I think that means enjoy your life, explore as many possibilities as possible, and see the potential in any situation. Be a contributor to the world; provide as much love and input and thought to it as you can just to make sure when your time comes, you have invested your all to it. The one thought that invades my dreams and disrupts my sleep patterns is whether or not I want to know when my "moment" is. Some days, I want to know, just so that I can be prepared. Other days I don't want to know, because all the energy I spent on things that didn't apply to my "purpose" is wasted. Then again, is anything ever wasted? Maybe I was supposed to be stuck for three hours on the BQE that time; maybe I was supposed to lose that good job; maybe I needed that $100 bill I found that summer I spent playing basketball really badly. We are all just cogs in the clock; I'm just looking to be recycled. Reprinted by permission of the author.
People are dying unexpectedly, and no one knows why. That is, no one on earth. Jason Adams suspects, and knew something was wrong the moment he died. And when he noticed the curious filtering in of others into what most folks call heaven, he became very concerned. What Jason suspects is this: there is a war brewing in heaven, and both sides need soldiers for the fight. Unfortunately, who could possibly be prepared for the repercussions such a recruitment would cause to the very fabric of reality? Neither side cares; they only want their forces fortified with souls. It is up to Jason and his small band of recruits to stop this celestial conflict before all creation is annihilated. Would you like to know more?