Holyagnostic

Writing Conclusions (continued)

But there at the cemetery one is aware of the conclusion to someone's human story. Whoever it was is now in your past. You have choices still waiting concerning the future, some of which will be accompanied by many who have joined you for the graveside ritual.

The finality of it all has probably already begun to sink into your soul. No more words or songs or laughter. A curtain has been drawn. The writing of the end of all of our human stories brings us to the fate of the one now gone.

Reminders start immediately. Caller ID says, "Dad" and you know that he will never be the one who is there when you answer. You have been keeping him up to date on a corporate crook and a new addition to the craziness of the story begs to be told, but the one to hear, cannot. He looks at you only in the images found in old pictures.

The intensity will begin to subside. It has before with your mom.

Conclusions are hard to write.

Writing Conclusions (continued)

Scattered Pictures

The TV Star loved to buy cameras and take pictures. Holy has been going through scores of albums that the Star kept and organized by year.

Of the Way We Were

From 1920 to the present the pictures chronicled the activities and people that flowed through their lives and eventually through Holy's as well. The places where we lived, worked and played flowed past. So full of life we all were. Now, the photographs and the memories are all that are left.

If We Had the Chance to do it all again

All of those events and choices that have gone into shaping who we have become are irretrievable. Holy may have trouble writing conclusions, but life does not. Each moment closes a door through which we can never go again. But if we had the chance...

Would We?

Could We?

For Holy the answer to those two questions is, "yes".

Is it the same for you?

Writing Conclusions

Writing is hard work for Holyagnostic. But he writes something every day. A journal has been a constant companion since January of 1975, and most of the daily jottings go there. Holy has reserved this space for some longer form thoughts, ideas, and feelings.

In both journal and here, Holy has discovered that the most difficult part of writing for him is the conclusion. The Unicorn Chronicles, The Peanut Man, and the Frito Bandito are all stories that are "...to be continued." The death of Holy's father, The TV Star, has brought a confrontation with the ultimate conclusion, mortality.

Somewhere in the last couple of months, Holy saw a quote that said, "Everyone needs to attend a graveside service at least once per year." The cemetery ritual allows for a point where the three tributary streams of time that we name past, present, and future converge in intensity for observation. Holy has been there three times this year. Enough already!

To be continued... (lol)

The Day George Carlin Died

George Carlin died and Holyagnostic was amazed at the buzz that began on the forum he occupies during the day: Al.com; Birmingham Forum .

There was praise.

"...undoubtedly the funniest comic I ever saw in person. I had the pleasure of being maybe 10 feet from him during a performance in OKC many, many years ago..I was sore the next from laughing so hard. RIP George.. .

Another said, "Saw him years ago in Atlanta. Very funny guy."

There was discussion about the place of "blue" material.

"a Red Skelton quote to mind (paraphrased):
'People laugh at filthy jokes not because they are funny, but because they are shocked and embarrassed.'
George Carlin and Richard Pryor are two perfect examples of this.
I'll never forget seeing a Pryor special on HBO years ago. At one point, he paused, looked around, and said "I need me some MF'ing water..." and the audience laughed. What was funny about that line? Nothing. He used the MF word and they laughed out of embarrassment.
Carlin was cut from the same cloth.
It takes a truly talented comedian to be clean and funny.
Mr. Skelton, I miss you."

Holy said, "Holy believes that comedy is all about the use of words and imagination to probe that part of the brain that tickles the funny bone of the listener.
Skelton was a genius at words and visual comedy, too.
Carlin tried it clean in his early career and then found that he identified with the clean audiences' children.
Carlin and Pryor became the comedians that the children's parents hated. That was perfect!
Holy usually likes it clean, but by golly, sometimes he NEEDS to be shocked and embarrassed."

Then came this: " glad he is dead. "

My response: Holy saves his "glad he is dead" comments for much more nefarious characters than Carlin.

Then: " I just cant stand the guy and I dont feel sorry for the way I feel right now...happy. Carlin disrespected everything I care about and I am glad he is worm food..."

That one took Holy's breath away. What life experiences had brought this person to have such POWERFUL negative emotions toward someone he probably never met? Why did he give that kind of control of his emotions to someone who only wanted to make people laugh and think?

Being on the forum is like being in an intimate restaurant where you are able to pick up dialog of the different conversations that are taking place in the room. The difference is that on the forum there is the addition of a keyboard that keeps some of the blurting-without-thinking remarks down to a minimum because composition is required.

This person not only owned those feeling, but took the time to put words out for the rest of us to "hear".