The Tear

This a short story I wrote my Senior year of high school. It's a little melodramatic, but I like it :) and I hope you do too!

Lily gazed across the clear blue sea that she had known for so long, her dark hair sailing in the wind. The ocean had been her only true friend. It would always calm her whenever she dared caress its course skin of sand with her feet. Lily could speak to the ocean without speaking, and it would always understand. It would always soothe her with its haunting chant. She would sometimes let it carry her far away so they could contemplate together even more privately. Other times Lily would simply let the ocean massage her tan skin as it lapped gently up and down her body. The ocean was the one thing Lily truly loved and the only thing that truly loved her back. The ocean would never complain, whine, or reject her.

A cold hand suddenly touched Lily’s shoulder and rudely awakened her from her meditation of solitude. Lily did not react or turn her head. “Lily,” her mother said, quietly. Lily did not move. “Lily, it’s time to go now,” her mother said more loudly. Lily didn’t budge. Her mother sighed. “Lily, I know this is hard, but we really need to leave now,” she said again. Lily slowly tilted her head to one side, still looking straight ahead, to indicate she had heard. She heard her mother’s feet stride easily away through the sand.

Then, she heard a crunch of a shell and felt another presence behind her. This time she turned around. “Hi,” she said unemotionally to her childhood friend, Bobby. Bobby sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Bobby looked into Lily’s face and dark brown eyes. All the sadness in the world resided in those eyes. Lily turned away. She couldn’t bear to look at Bobby like that, especially at a time like this. Bobby admired the ocean, their home, with Lily a few minutes before speaking. “New York can’t be that bad. I mean, you’ll meet a lot of cool city kids and get to see some of the tallest buildings in the world. Of course, the other kids won’t be as cool as me, but what can I say?” Bobby chided. Lily scoffed and nudged Bobby in the ribs. “Ow! How can you hurt me like that?” Bobby said sarcastically. “I’m gonna miss her,” Lily choked. “Yeah, we had some great times on that boat of ours didn’t we?” Bobby replied quietly. “Remember how long it took us to build her?” Bobby asked. “Mmhm. I remember. Three months, two weeks, one day, four hours, and 32 minutes,” Lily said chuckling. “I still can’t believe you timed us,” Bobby smiled.

Lily had always liked Bobby’s smile. He had the most perfect teeth, and they went great with his green eyes. His eyes always reminded Lily of the ocean after that big hurricane when they were both three. So deep a green, it was the most beautiful thing Lily thought she had ever seen or would ever see. His hair was bleached by the sun, and his face was always a little pink from forgetting to put on more sunscreen after surfing for five hours. Yes, she always thought, he has to be related to the mermaids. Now as she looked at him, she was absolutely positive he had mermaid blood coursing through his veins. Little Mermaid had always been her and Bobby’s favorite movie. She had always wanted to be Ariel, but knew she looked more like Prince Eric. Yes, she was definitely human, and Bobby was definitely merman material.

“It’s just not fair,” she said. “I know,” Bobby replied. Lily laughed, glad that Bobby could not read her thoughts. “What?” Bobby asked confused. “Nothing that concerns you,” Lily said grinning. Bobby sighed and rolled his eyes and took his arm from around her. Lily shot back once again to reality; this was the end. This wasn’t just another day on the beach with Bobby; this was goodbye. “I can’t do it, Bobby,” Lily whispered. “I can’t leave here. Everything I knew and grew up with is here. This is my heart and soul right here, Bobby,” Lily said trying desperately to restrain her tears. “I can’t…” Lily trailed off. Bobby looked at her. “I can’t leave you,” Lily blurted. Bobby looked at the ground and said something Lily would never forget, “Take The Tear with you...and never forget me.” “No, Bobby, I couldn’t do that to you,” she said finding it harder to stop the tears from flowing. “Where could I sail her? Where could I set her free?” she asked desperately. “You’ll be in Manhattan, you know. She’ll be able to see Lady Liberty,” Bobby replied.

The Tear, the one drop that remained afloat in the millions of tears of the ocean. Lily and Bobby had been pretty darn proud of themselves inventing that name for their creation, their pride, their joy. Many times it had safely and faithfully carried them to their secret isle about four miles off the coast. She had held together rather nicely and sailed faster than Bobby and Lily had thought she would. “Wow, we’re actually going two knots with this thing,” Lily had said stopping the measuring rope with her fingers after Bobby hit the stopwatch. “It’s because I’m manning the sails,” Bobby had said jokingly. The Tear was…home.

“No, Bobby,” Lily said, “You need her as much as I do.” Bobby remained silent. Lily knew he wouldn’t keep her. She heard the start of her family van somewhere behind her and the clunking of the pick up truck as it connected with The Tear. Lily realized Bobby had already made the decision a long time ago to let the ship go. Lily looked into Bobby’s face, a single tear running down her cheek. “Please don’t do that,” Bobby whispered. He reached up to wipe the tear from her face, but the tear ran quickly down her skin and into his open palm. Lily gasped mournfully and Bobby looked at his hand. Lilly got up and walked briskly away, leaving Bobby and the ocean behind her. Bobby got up and watched her figure walk determinedly away, his hand still wet with her tear.

Love

Love's painful sting envelopes me
   whole and entire
But there is no one there
   No, not even Thee
They say absence makes the heart
   grow fonder.
But they forget to mention
   the pain and torture
When? When whilst thou come
   to ease this bleeding wound?
I cannot but hope that your
   answer is soon . . . soon.
Save me! Save me from this Cross
   that kills!
The yoke is too heavy and my
   heart has cracked.
The dove's woeful cooing
   shrills!
And over my heart scabbed is
   blacked.
Then comes Your Holy Mother
   in Mercy shrined.
And with arms outstretched
   her brightness blind.
She takes my heart and
   makes it whole.
And with her love
   She makes me Thine.
Oh! Thou Blessed Mother
   Take me to He!
For I am heavy burdened
   and sickly grieved.
She smiles joyfully with
   sad eyes teared.
And points to her heart
   where Thine sword pierced.
Again my heart fails and
   I fall toward the dark.
But She catches me before
   all hope is lost.
I cannot! I am nothing.
   I am unable to pay the cost.
My Lord and my God
   Why hast Thou forsaken me?
She pulls me up a ragged hill
   and there I see
You have already carried my Cross
   and for that
They hung You on a Tree.

A Warning

The New York Times has done it again... If you haven't read it, you should, just so you can see how their latest article on Pope Benedict XVI/Cardinal Ratzinger is completely ludicrous, ridiculous, infuriating, and ignorant.

Click here to read it now, but you may want to read this first.

This article only encouraged me to write what I am about to say, and what I have been wanting to say for a long time:

The Church has been corrupt since its foundation. Remember Judas? But we are still One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church founded by Christ and in Christ. Christ knew we were sinners, and in His infinite wisdom, mercy, and love, He established a Divine institution made of imperfect people. Christ was able to take the sin of Judas and use it for the Salvation of the entire world.

Indeed, priests and bishops alike have abused children, teens, and even adults, but that is THEIR own sin. It is NOT the fault of the Pope, or the Catholic Church as a whole. Yes, more action should have been taken early on; the Bishops had all the power they needed in order to handle it. Even the New York Times says so:

"Bishops had a variety of disciplinary tools at their disposal — including the power to remove accused priests from contact with children and to suspend them from ministry altogether — that they could use without the Vatican’s direct approval."

"Some used this authority to sideline abusive priests, minimizing the damage inflicted on their victims. Other bishops clearly made things worse, by shuffling abusers from one assignment to the next, never telling parishioners or reporting priests to the police."

So why isn't the media focusing on the lax and corrupt bishops? Why must they place the sin of others on one man's shoulders? Clearly, one man could fix the mental problems of hundreds of abuser priests and their victims quickly...How can they expect that?

Have they examined how slow our own justice system is, or how corrupt? Many victims lose their livelihood due to our own slow and corrupt court system. Does the media blame Obama? Certainly not...he's a saint!

Pope Benedict XVI has been nothing but humble and sincere throughout these entire scandal proceedings. Has anyone heard him (I mean him, and not some "representative") deny these accusations of the press, even when he knows himself to be innocent? No. He is doing everything in his power to speed this process along, and he asks for forgiveness of all things! How dare he! Come on folks, wake up and smell the incense!

Furthermore, an ordinance from 1922 does not make an innocent man guilty! Talk about staying with the times people...

It is indeed a tragedy that so many priests and religious would stray from the Way. And just as the Pope said, "Mercy does not mean the lack of justice." Their sin is inexcusable, and the effect on their victims is unchangeable. These men will be brough to justice, whether they are dead or alive. However, blaming one man for their transgressions only highlights our fallen human nature and shows that Man has not changed since the time of Christ. We must remove the beam from our own eye, so that we may see clearly to pluck the splinter out of our neighbor's eye.

A message to my fellow Catholics: If the world justice system does bring this to court, it could undermine the entire Church...but only on the surface. The Catholic Church shines most when it is persecuted. Christ on the Cross shows us this simple fact. As members of the Body of Christ, including the Pope, we will continue to suffer until the end of this world and the beginning of the New. So, this time of persecution is a call to arms...spiritual arms. Continue to pray for our Pope and our Priests, and for those who persecute them. Do not lose faith.

A message to those who oppose Christ and and His Church: I want to warn those that wrongly accuse and persecute the Church, because it is more than an institution. It is more than a hierarchy composed of laymen, priests, Bishops, Cardinals, and one Pope. It is the Body of Christ.

YOU WILL NEVER DESTROY THE CHURCH. WE ARE AN ETERNAL BODY. THE POPE MAY BE STRIPPED OF HIS TITLE, BUT HE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN THE POPE. HE WILL CONTINUE TO LEAD US, EVEN IF WE MUST GO UNDERGROUND. YOU CAN DESTROY EVERY CHURCH BUILDING, BUT YOU WILL NEVER DESTROY CHRIST'S BODY. IF YOU SPILL OUR BLOOD, YOU SPILL CHRIST'S BLOOD, BUT WE KNOW THAT THIS BLOOD IS OUR SALVATION. FOR A TIME, IT MAY SEEM AS IF YOU HAVE WON THE BATTLE, BUT YOU WILL NEVER WIN THE WAR. CHRIST HAS ALREADY WON! CHRIST IS RISEN! ALLELUIA!

"Go to Your Room!!!"

For the past few days, I have had the great privilege of playing the role of "Mom" to my three younger siblings, while my parents enjoy five days on a "business" cruise...Of course I have babysat before, but this particular experience has made me rethink the phrase "Go to your room!" When one is still a child, the phrase can have several different meanings. I will number them from least severe to the worst punishment of your young life:

1. You really need to sit on your bed and think about what you just did/said. (What actually happens: The child closes their door sulkily, proceeds to find a book or a toy to play with whilst sitting on said bed, and never actually "thinks" about what they did. In fact, by the time the parent or parental figure arrives to "talk about it", the child has completely forgotten why they were sent there in the first place, and the book/toy is now safely hidden.)

2. Sitting on your bed doing absolutely nothing will render you so miserable that you will never want to do what you just did/said again, and you will be completely repentant. (What actually happens: The scenario from number one is repeated, or the child broods about it for several minutes and is most definitely NOT repentant by the time the parent shows up.)

3. Going to your room and waiting for the parental figure to show up should scare you out of your mind, because you KNOW that you are in big trouble now. [This is the normal meaning for older children.] (What actually happens: Yes, the child is probably scared, because he/she knows they will get a shouting of a lifetime, and maybe some privileges taken away. However, the fear is not half so meaningful as the pride of actually having talked back to the parent and know that the future missing privileges will soon be restored.)

4. This is the ultimate punishment of your life and there is absolutely nothing you can do or say about it. [This is the traditional meaning for most teens.](What actually happens: The teen whose life is now "ruined" must endure the time it takes for the parent to show up and "ruin" their life some more. Most likely, the car, license, or that incredibly awesome party you were supposed to go to will be taken away. It sucks when you're old enough to drive...bigger things can be taken away. Therefore, the teen will most likely have such thoughts as "I can't wait to get out of here," "My parents don't know anything/don't understand me/can't possibly know what I'm going through," or something similar to these.

Now that we have these four basic definitions, I would like to argue that all of these are entirely FALSE! Although, what actually happens DOES happen, but the definitions themselves are misinterpreted by young selfish ears. I realized today when I screamed at my brother, "GO TO YOUR ROOM!" that I didn't mean any of those things I have just listed. In fact, what I meant was: "You are so frustrating that you need to leave before I do something physically violent!" So, I have come to the conclusion that my parents never hated me, misunderstood me, or just wanted to torture me. They were protecting me from themselves. So, kids, when you hear "Go to your room!" don't ask questions or talk back, just do it. Your life may depend on it.

Where to Begin...

This shall be my blog, and a blog it shall be. Whether I'll end up producing total brain vomit or an amazingly delicious intellectual dish is a matter for time to tell. I intend to be brutally honest, horribly NON-politically correct, wonderfully creative, and use an increasing amount of adjectives to describe the way I live, feel, talk, walk, eat, and otherwise exist in this horribly corrupt and yet beautiful world of ours.

Most writers tend to paint the world not as it is, but how they want it to be. A cliche, you say, how wonderfully original, Meryl. Indeed, I fully admit to being cliche at least at some point in my life...get over it. Anyway, I want share with my readers (however many will be compassionate enough to read this) short stories, reflections (or more correctly tirades) on world issues, anything that pops into my head, and whatever inspires me to write something epic.

I am working on an epic novel, which my readers may have the lucky chance to read snippets of in the near future...hmmm...I bet that pulled you in didn't it? Of course it didn't. You don't even know what this "epic novel" is about. Well, I'll tell you. It's about our near future, but with a hint of hope...there is a heroine. Yes, a heroine...not because I'm a fem nazi; I'm quite the opposite actually, but because I am a woman and I can more easily relate to feelings, events, love,....yes, you get the point. It IS somewhat autobiographical, but YOU will never which parts actually happened to ME....mwahahaha....

Ok, now that I've revealed part of my soul, I will leave the rest to God and His Divine Providence. Good God! Not another Christian! Oh no! Even worse! A Catholic! How dare another hypocritical Catholic enter the world of writers! What? Are you afraid? You should be...