Spirit and Stone and a Great Lake Nearby
SPIRIT AND STONE &
A GREAT LAKE NEARBY
Her father was
a difficult contradiction,
annoyingly similar to a certain
type of teacher, minister or priest,
to a certain type of imam, rabbi
or occasional poet, a confounding
combination of spirit and stone,
a faith in the unseen somehow
beautifully draped over a granite
demeanor, almost comforting and loving,
sometimes righteous and wise, a bit
menacing in mixed company, irritatingly
addicted to spiritual confrontation,
to breaking fragile things, causing
collateral damage when ministering
to students and to uncertain souls
He crashed through his family
and his wary community like hot Latin
jazz on a hot Saturday night, driving
and polyrhythmic on Afro percussion
irresistibly melodic, but demanding and
loud like a prayer of desperation offered
one time too many to an inattentive god!
And she was his daughter!
She was restless and young
and about to break out, her wicked
emotions like the whipped whitecap
waves and the cold northwest winds of
the Great Lake nearby, she was dangerous,
dynamic and deep in the middle, icy and
rocky at the forested edge, but sunlight
and diamonds on the right summer day
Always in turmoil, she didn’t understand
that she was just like her dad, didn’t
understand why they couldn’t just talk,
spend more time with each other, maybe
find common ground, get their attitudes
in synch, perhaps break things
together!
Copyright © Emanuel Carter | Year Posted 2021
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