Awaiting What’s Ahead

 

Sitting alone in the dark 

I’m down and low in thoughts about myself 

Shall I move on, forward 

Every day a battle 

To prove myself to myself 

Success is beyond reach 

I sit in my chair to accomplish anything 

Wonder whether in person 

I’m able to fulfill my goal of

Producing what I dreamt 

Wonder whether I’ll make it through the day, night 

With love from those who support me 

My goals buoyant 

I’m a success every day 

Every weekend 

Month

All yearlong 

Slow as the snail 

Persistence as the spider spins a web 

Determination of a yearling

Rising to her first stand

Uprighted with horse power,

Winning the heat

Surfacing sunshine, morning red sky 

Surviving each month and day

I shall breathe again and again 

My choice 

My trying pays off 

My heart fulfilled in muscle and love 

Love transpired 

Love of self 

Love of God

Book Review: Homecoming by Kate Morrow

It’s not typical to find the reason for the title of a novel to be uncovered in the last sentence of the book. The beginning sequence alludes to what the reader has to expect, but it doesn’t feel right throughout the progression of present and past events. A family deceased found under the shade of a tree. Was it suicide and murder, or an unfortunate accident? But what happened to the baby? An empty wicker basket found hung from a limb. A massive community search came up empty. The customary ending usually ends with the baby being saved. But this novel doesn’t follow a normal pattern. Characters: can we trust them? Are they likable? manipulative? unsound? Where do they fit in the story? The narrator keeps the reader guessing. Jess, the protagonist, finds what she is looking for, her home,  which is not what she thought her grandmother was, but her previously estranged mother.  Morten’s characters are fully developed by the end of the novel. The reader knows who is who, but how the Turner family died is still a guess.