Never Mind the Castle

Never Mind the Castle

We are this we are living

it is our watch now

we are the guards in the tower

the protectors of

the moat.

If it gets in we allow it

it is ours to own

whether we cower

or slept

at our post.

Neither the left

nor the right

block our center view,

if we’re conquered

it rests with me

with you.

©Peggy Eldridge-Love 2013

Photo Credit: 

Image credit: sahua / 123RF Stock Photo

"The Butler" - My personal processing of it begins...

I saw Lee Daniel's tremendous film "The Butler" yesterday. As a baby boomer it was a very poignant review of the advents of history that were the underpinnings of my own life. Stepping into that time machine the film unfolded was not an easy, comfortable journey, but one I am so glad to have made. If one can accept it, it answers many of the recent impatient, intolerant, hand on hip, finger waging scoldings of  "why don't you people just get over it". Wish it were as simple as that sounds. Wish all it would take is the wave of a magic wane of forgetfulness to erase the anguish etched on heart, soul, and mind of those truths we lived.

A Facebook friend asked what I thought of the film when I mentioned I'd seen it. I was candidly honest in saying it was going to take some time to process those thoughts and feelings. She asked if I'd share that processing along the way. I wasn't sure I wanted to, but decided that I would share at least this first step in that journey. 

One major incident that came spiraling to the forefront for me while watching that film was that of being in the fourth grade in a Kansas classroom, one of the first spattering of black children integrating schools following the passage of the landmark decision of Brown vs Board of Education. A memory of being jerked out of my chair suddenly by my white teacher, following about 15 minutes of humiliation and accusations in front of my 98% white class of having stolen another child's - a white child's - pencil box, being drug from the classroom literally by my pigtail into the bathroom where my mouth was washed out with lye soap until it was raw. Memory of my mother's horror as she saw my raw splitting tongue and had to comb my hair carefully for the next month due to the blistering from the pulling. Memory of my mother's terror as she sought to (and succeeded in) hide the incident from my father whom she knew would have in all likelihood reacted in a way that would have resulted in him going to prison. A memory of the principal's reaction when proof of purchase was provided and the accusation disproved...the reaction being that "well, you shouldn't have gotten one the same color as the one that the other child in her class had."

I had forgotten that I stuttered quite often after that for the next couple of years or that my grades went from straight As to barely passing. But above all I didn't forget that it was in the midst of these circumstances and conditions (no need to regurgitate the numerous heartless insults and belittling we endured at the hands of our teachers those first two years ... those are graves I refuse to exhume) that I ultimately found how strong and capable I really was, how truly fearless my parents were, in particular my mother who became an active part of every program the school had from PTA onward no matter how she was discouraged or who tried to block her, to ensure the fairest treatment for her own and the other handful of black children in that hell-hole elementary school, and how our faith and our church body encircled us on day in and day out basis to support and confront both in prayer and in action what it took to survive and ultimately thrive.

So, the processing begins of remembering what the reality, not the theory behind the struggle for civil rights has been. This is day one.

A Poem Before Dawn

Daydreams wiggle free of their harness,
kicking heels, prancing, promenading
before the filled arena
of startled hopes
held at rapt attention
by the amazement in my mind.

Peggy Eldridge-Love c2013

Photo Credit: Copyright : Viktoria Makarova

A Coward's Epiphany

I think of all the last names I prayed for
I think of all the last names I got
Think of the near misses
The grand slams
The rain outs
I think of the full circle
I think of the starting gate
I think of you.

©Peggy Eldridge-Love 2013





Photo Credit: Copyright : Simone Van Den Berg

Back Ups

Never been one to be concerned
 about leaving footprints
 in the atmosphere
 if I've backed myself
 into a corner.
 I'm coming out,
 need be,
 tracks proof
 printed on time
 where I once stood
 before landing
 here.

©Peggy Eldridge-Love 2013

 Photo Credits: Image credit: tiero / 123RF Stock Photo

...miny, moe

Bark against back comforts

lean against tree

positioned right at the fork

of the next road.

©Peggy Eldridge-Love 2013

Photo credit: Image credit: egorr / 123RF Stock Photo

Blurs

A right glance

behind closed lids blurs

the positive negative image

still burned, emblazoned,

the evidence 

of the could be

were we ever to see

eye to eye.

©Peggy Eldridge-Love 2013

Photo Credits:  ©Peggy T. Love 2013 All Rights Reserved

Trayvon Martin: His Grim Reaper

 

 

 

TRAYVON MARTIN: HIS GRIM REAPER

You'll misunderstand my grief, confuse it
perhaps with a lost hand at poker,
cluck your tongue
at my sour grapes, scold me, tell me
time has come for me to get over it.
I'll be chided for not accepting the turn
of how these wheels of justice works,
move on will be the repeated whisper

under your exasperated breath,
as you tire of my whining complete
with its wine and cheese, but mine,
this bitter anguished whine
will not subside, nor be stilled by your
impatient sidesteps this time.
This time the bell rung that summoned
hell himself cannot be undone,
we've one too many sacrificial sons
dismissed with callous disregard,
his worth diminished by a bullet
through his heart.

It was the Grim Reaper he met

on his way home, the stalker

whose mission he could not

defeat, who stalked him,

blocked all routes by which

he sought to retreat. A Reaper

summoned straight from hell
whose spaws now paw and wish

him well. But this time
the bell rung that summoned
hell himself cannot be undone

nor the debt we owe to our

lost son. He is our catalyst

of change, not its victim

but its name as we chant

Trayvon in the streets, in our

prayers, in our sleep. As we
resolve to bring an end

once and for all to this

perpetual sin.

©  Peggy Eldridge-Love

Photo Credit: Image credit: mj23 / 123RF Stock Photo

Trayvon Martin - Ancestor's Grief

I really thought that I'd be able to process the verdict regardless of how and where it came down, so no one was more surprised than me that I absolutely lost it - cried hysterically (an absolute shock because in spite of some of my own recent very personal losses hysterics didn't come to play on those occasions) because apparently this grief was old - it was ancestor grief - it was from the bowels of the rotting ships crossing the Atlantic 400 years ago - it was that of that first mother seeing that first son put on that block and sold into hell - it was things I didn't realize abode within my rudimentary heart and soul. Now released it is truly for me the drum beat of change.

YOU BECKON

Do you have your paperback copy of  "YOU BECKON" yet?

 

Some of it's 5 Star Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Poignant Must Have Poetry Collection... 

By Linda "Princess Dominique" Grosvenor

Format:Paperback

Being a poet at heart I must highly recommend You Beckon by Peggy Eldridge-Love. They say poetry is subjective but I beg to differ, "First Fruits: A Wedding Lullaby," "Cold Fever," "Wall Flower" and "Go" (a simple yet urgent plea) just to name a few herald the love and appreciation of this collection. Peggy has a sweet way with words that carress you as you read like waves on an ocean vacation. I love the memories as if they were my own. I look forward to reading additional volumes of poetry from this wordsmith. You've gotta get a copy. This is a must for every collection.

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless 

By M. LaVora Perry

Format:Paperback

I feel fortunate to have been recently introduced to the poetry of Peggy Eldridge-Love. Her work does not provide easy, comfortable reading, but rather familar places, people and memories that figuratively beckon the reader to take a closer look at the tender ache that may wait beneath the surface of the ordinary. Through Eldridge's artistry, common contemporary scenes and themes of our shared recent history take on a new dimension. Her collection is filled with timeless peices that you'll want to read and read again.M. LaVora Perry,
Author of "Taneesha's Treasures of the Heart"

5.0 out of 5 stars A Creative Force At Work

By Mahogany Book Club

Format:Paperback

" You Beckon" By Peggy Eldridge Love, is a collection of voices: A young girl, an old man, a worried wife, a soldier, a cosmopolitan and a lover as well as many others. All within the pages of this fine collection of poetry Eldridge Love handles many characters and gives them clarity and dignity that is rare in voices.
The poems work because the reader can connect with them and relate, living vicariously through their losses and victories.
The majority of Eldrdge Love poems succeed because they evoke a satisfying emotional response. It is one thing to write a well crafted poem that follows the rules of poetry, another to make a poem that touches the soul.
from " Repertoire"
I gave up wanting long ago
Believing that i bargained away
all hope of arms that might hold
eyes that could see
ears that wanted to hear
the repertoire of my soul.
Eldridge Love's poems are direct enough to draw the reader in. Complicated enough to hold the their interest. Love sports a fiskle intellect. But she doesn't put herself on a pedestal. She wants you to come into her world of words, which are often deep, always provocative and razor sharp in their brevity. Her family poem's " My Father" are snap shots of a Black girls life in Kansas who describes herself as a "hick", but don't be fooled by Eldridge Love's modesty. These poems are the documentation of a creative force at work.Erren.G.Kelly

YOU CAN BUY YOUR COPY NOW!

If you haven't added "His Wife's Diary (Love Bites)" to your reading collection here is a quick overview and opportunity to do it now. It's available for either your Kindle or your Nook or any other means by which you download and read your favorite Ebooks! Got questions or need more information? Please feel free to leave your comments or email me directly. You can also subscribe to our informational newsletter on this site as well. Love you all! You are the greatest!

Peggy
aka Tess Allen

"His Wife's Diary (Love Bites)" by Plovewriter on Ganxy

An Ey Wade Review of A Bundle Tied in Red!

Last night I was excited because one of my Ebooks, "A Bundle Tied in Red" which I write under my pen name Tess Allen, was being reviewed on The John Wills Book Tree program on BlogTalkRadio. The excellent review was done by Ey Wade of Wade-In Book Reviews and I'd spent the day anticipating listening to the program.

Available Here on Amazon!

Sure enough, at the appointed time I made my way to the site on BlogTalkRadio where I could find the necessary link to tune in to the program and I was actually quite proud of myself for having not run into any of the technical glitches I tend to do from time to time when I move beyond anything but the simplest of online connections.

For an hour I listened to the invigorating discussion that was going on between Mr. Wills, his co-host and their celebrated main guest of the evening about several of her books, and when, near the very end of the program he announced that the regular segment which was a book review by Ey Wade was about to air I waited with baited breath.

To my surprise, rather than the review of my book as I'd anticipated, Ey gave a thoroughly interesting detailed review of another book by another author. I thought, wow, did I get my wires crossed! She must have meant the review would air next week, not this! But then something guided me to take a look at the "episode" that I was listening to and yes, as you might have already guessed, I had tuned into last week's episode not the one that was currently airing!

So, thanks to modern technology I was able to download the right episode, the September 19, 2012 episode, shortly after it went off air, and, at the end of that excellent program with yet another very talented author, I heard Ey Wade's review start and to my thrill and delight her WONDERFUL review of "A Bundle Tied in Red"! I share that episode with you now here! Just click the player below for the entire episode or, if you feel like cheating, you can fast forward towards the end to hear the review! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Thanks Ey!

Listen to internet radio with John T Wills Book Tree on Blog Talk Radio

Synchronicity

Quite recently I experienced a series of events that genuinely left me wondering "what the heck was that?"! On one hand it was humorous, another flattering, another almost surreal in how it had come to that one cosmic moment in time.

It left me buoyant immediately afterwards, giving me an emotional boost that was more than welcome coming when and as it had, but the practical side of me was anxious for it to run its course as something I was focused on. Anxious because of my need right now to remain practical and dedicated to personal commitments I've already made to accomplish things I've already determined are in and for my best interest. Yet, it hasn't been quite so easy to dismiss.

This is synchronicity, a small voice whispered in my head this morning. There's more to come, it seemed to say. Of course I want to scream "what", followed by an even louder "why",  but instead I have just decided to entertain the possibility that perhaps there is indeed an intervention of grace at work in my life in a way more discernible than normal. The kind of grace that, rather than running like that constant underground current that God provides that allows our spirit to be nurished and  replenished ongoing, it is a highly charged grace not to be missed but to be witnessed and understood as it brings about tangible change that neither I, nor anyone watching from the sidelines can deny.

My task now is patience; it is simply to wait, because if in fact this is synchronicity its unfolding is a certainty.

Okay, so that said, let me go somewhere and find myself a quiet seat.

Living On the Tip of My Pen...Again

It has been quite a while since I just wrote for the pure act and love of writing for this blog. Like many others, I formed a circle of "friends" on Facebook and tend to stop there first, if not exclusively, when I sign on line. I realized recently that in many ways that has become tantamount to what occurred when we stopped phoning and opted for texting and stopped sending letters and cards and resort now to emailing. There is a great deal lost in those paradigm shifts; much more than can be immediately realized and much more than we can, as a society, afford.

This is my humble opinion, of course. Yet, because of changing circumstances in my own life it has become abundantly clear that sound bites (bytes) and snippets do not a life sustain. Emails and text messages do not substitute for warm voices and actual quick hugs. Timelines and dozens of photos of dogs, cats, hairdos, and someone elses' espoused clever words in interesting fonts and colors do not ultimately keep you "kissed" when you just need a peck on the forehead. I wonder, often, what we are really exchanging for life, not just for ourselves, but for those we love, those we have been charged with guiding and directing, giving a solid foundation, and exposure to the set of values we deem essential for a long range quality existence. Have we given in, submitting to unspoken defeat, because this is just the way things are now? I'm not at peace with that, so, personally, I'm not willing to accept it for myself from this point forward. I need more than 142 characters, more than an updated status report for personal sustenance.

What am I saying? I'm saying that I'll be stopping here more often than there when I need to share. I'll once more examine, when I feel a desire to subject myself to scrutiny, criticism, and accountability, my thoughts, positions, impressions, hopes, dreams, desires in this platform. This blog is calling me back. I might be the only one following me, but that too will be okay - I need to know where I'm going and very clearly the 'me' I'm now following.

So, Living on the Tip of My Pen is flowing fluid again. I hope you'll indulge me from time to time.

Love!

Peggy

A Minute With Author Deatri King-Bey

What's Your Name and the title or titles of your books?

 Deatri King-Bey and I’d like to introduce my latest title, Tease, the last book in the Write Brothers Series and the eBox set of the entire Write Brothers series, Sons 4 Sale.

What genre do you normally write in?

  Romance with a good dose of reality.

Could you tell us just a little about yourself?

 I started in the publishing industry over a decade ago as a developmental editor at Third World Press, Inc. the oldest African American owned publishing house in the country. My first published title was released in 2006 and since then I have 15 titles under my belt. On a personal note, I’ve been married 25 years to my hero and we have three beautiful daughters and the three greatest grandchildren EVER.

Will you give us a brief overview of your latest, or if you prefer, your favorite book?

TEASE: After Eva caught her fiancé in bed with her cousin, she swore she'd never be played for the fool again. Now the ultimate bed-hopper—Tyler Write, has set his sights on her and she’s having difficulty resisting him.

 

Tyler can have any woman except the one he truly wants—Eva Simpson. Smooth lines and sweet talk won't work with her. To have a chance at Eva’s heart, he’ll have to show her who he really is.

Purchase this eBook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble. The print version will be released in a few weeks.

SONS 4 SALE (Write Brothers Series eBox Set): If Gloria Write hears “There are no good Black men…” one more time, she’ll scream. She has four sons who fit the bill and not one is married.  Desperate times call for desperate action. During the course of four novels, Gloria sets out to ensure her sons marry. The eBox set includes all four Write Brother novels.

Purchase the eBox set for $7.99 or each novel for $2.99 from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Are you working on anything new at the moment?

 My current work in progress is Hell Hath No Fury, book II of the dangerously-sexy Black Widow and the Sandman series I write with Curtis Alcutt as L. L. Reaper. By the way, the eBook versions of Black Widow and the Sandman are discounted from $5.99 to $2.99 during the Christmas in July sale I’m participating in.

What one statement would you like to make that you think our audience and your readers might benefit from?

 Learn from your past, prepare for the future, and live in the now.

How can someone follow you if they want to stay abreast of what you are doing?

 Visit my blog at http://deatrikingbey.com, http://www.facebook.com/deatri or twitter @deatrikingbey or @LLReaper

Thank you for allowing me to give insight into myself and novels. I appreciate it and you. Have a fantastic rest of the week.

Deatri King-Bey