death – Page 4 – Midnight Musings – A journal by Jade Walker

“And death shall have no dominion” by Dylan Thomas

April 4, 2016 / No Comments

And death shall have no dominion.
Dead mean naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.
Under the windings of the sea
They lying long shall not die windily;
Twisting on racks when sinews give way,
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;
Faith in their hands shall snap in two,
And the unicorn evils run them through;
Split all ends up they shan’t crack;
And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Through they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion.
Theme: A lens that levels the laser

January 23, 2016 / No Comments

Earlier today, I finished reading “The Red Notebook” (La Femme au Carnet Rouge), a book by Antoine Laurain about a Parisian man who finds a woman’s purse on the street just hours after it was stolen during a violent mugging. As any good Samaritan would, the hero of the story sets about finding the owner of the handbag (no easy task without a wallet or phone).

Upon reading the last page, I looked up Laurain to see what other books he’d written. Turns out he also penned “The President’s Hat” (Le Chapeau de Mitterrand), a story about a man who comes into possession of a hat that was accidentally left at a brasserie by French President Francois Mitterrand. Clearly, the author is drawn to the theme of things that are lost and found.

As I struggle to write more novel-length stories, I wonder what my theme will be. Will my love of obits filter into my fiction? (Yes.) Do I sound too much like a journalist or can I tell a fantastical tale that’s worth reading? (Still up for debate.) Must someone always die? (Yes.) Why are all of my heroes/heroines such tortured souls? (Perhaps because I’m not.). Lastly, should I determine the theme before putting pen to paper or just let the characters share the story they want to tell? (I suspect the latter.)

–h/t to Chuck Wendig for the title. Photo by Brian A. Jackson.
In Memoriam: A Look Back At Some Of The People We Lost in 2015

December 31, 2015 / No Comments

Some people view obituaries as morbid stories, but in truth only one line of an obit deals with death. The rest of the story focuses on the amazing lives people lead. In 2015, these 15 obituaries featured the people who most resonated with me:

* Alana Baranick, obituary writer
* Leonard Nimoy, actor, photographer and artist
* Maureen O’Hara, actor
* Harriet Klausner, author
* Wes Craven, director
* Kenji Ekuan, industrial engineer
* James Horner, composer
* Bertrice Small, author
* Oliver Sacks, neurologist and author
* Ann Rule, true crime writer
* Mary Ellen Mark, photographer
* David Carr, columnist
* Roger Rees, actor
* B.B. King, musician
* Rudy Perz, ad man

Other wonderful obituaries that shouldn’t be missed (and people who shouldn’t be forgotten):

* Jonathan Crombie, actor
* Yogi Berra, baseball player
* Christopher Lee, actor
* Ben E. King, singer
* Jackie Collins, author
* John Nash, mathematician
* Terry Pratchett, author
* Bob Simon, journalist
* Stuart Scott, sportscaster
* Alex Rocco, actor
* Ruth Rendell, author
* Burt Shavitz, businessman
* Vincent Bugliosi, attorney
2015: The Year In Review

December 29, 2015 / 1 Comment

At the end of the year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced, both personally and professionally. What follows is my accounting of 2015:

* Celebrated my 25th year as a journalist (and contemplated what that means for my future).

* Produced hundreds of breaking news stories, including the battle against ISIS, the Charlie Hebdo attack, the Paris massacre, dozens of U.S. mass shootings, the crash of TransAsia Airways Flight 235 in Taiwan, the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the fighting between Israel and Hamas, the worldwide refugee crisis, the Baltimore riots, the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling, the change in U.S.-Cuba relations, the dangerous California drought, the Pope’s visit to America and the 2015 debate cycle.

* Blogged for The Obituary Forum, The Blog of Death and Afterthoughts.

* Passed the 41,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker)

* Received the verified checkmark on Facebook (I exist!)

* Penned 58 journal entries.

* Wrote 3 poems

* Worked on my novel.

* Walked 1.11 million steps (more than 465 miles) and climbed nearly 1,000 floors.

* Read 45 books and countless magazines.

* Watched 25 films.

* Completed classes in The Most Powerful Empires in History, History’s Greatest Entrepreneurs, the Biggest Wars in History, the Most Advanced Ancient Civilizations, the Greatest Cities Throughout History, the Greatest Battles of All Time, the Most Influential Speeches in World History, Significant American Writers of the 20th Century, Great Short Stories and Beautiful Inspiration Poems.

* Updated The Written Word and The 10th Muse mailing lists.

* Participated in the The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group, the Journalism & Women Symposium and the Author’s Guild.

* Went house-hunting in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

* Traveled to Boston and New York City.

* Twice hosted vacationing friends.

* Joined a CSA.

* Saw Stephen King and Lee Child in person.

* Shot off a large cache of fireworks.

* Suffered from at least 22 migraines.

* Celebrated my 6th wedding anniversary.

* Grieved the death of my eldest cat, Buddha, and received the news that my youngest cat, Sera, has terminal cancer. My father also died.

* Turned 42.

Goals for 2016

* Save up enough money for a down payment on a house and move.

* Work on my fiction.

* Write more obits.

* Read at least 50 books.

* Complete a series of 30-day challenges.

* Win the lottery.
Once upon a time, in a pool hall in Florida…

November 3, 2015 / No Comments

On this day 25 years ago, I met my best friend and my high school sweetheart. At the time I had no idea that a chance encounter would lead to friendship and love. And now, a quarter of a century has passed. Where has the time gone?

Amy and I were nearly inseparable for a good long while. She and I knew each other so well that we could finish each other’s sentences. Hell, half the time, we could read each other’s minds. As for Chris, he was my first love. He set the romantic standard for all others to follow, and for most of our relationship, I wanted nothing more than to be near him.

Even now, I’m still struck by the fact that they’re both gone. They were such strange and unique people, kind and passionate, funny and flawed. But most of all, so alive. I have lived a lifetime without them, unable to pick up the phone and catch up, or hop in the car and go for a drive. In grief, I remain friends with their ghosts, but it is not the same.

What I wouldn’t give for just a few more hours together. We could eat cheap pizza, play Phase 10, listen to great music and talk about anything and everything. And when it was time for them to once again return to the land of Death, I could give them both big breasty hugs before saying farewell.

Today, it’s their hugs I miss the most.