Jericho (First Draft)

I met her young in North Carolina
Not so pretty, but uniquely spirited
Counting stars from the bed of my truck,
We begged Time to let us live
The growing light dashed any hopes like this
It got colder as the darkness lifted
They would have caught us had we not made a break for
Where the hour could not find us

Oh, you said you were my friend: my lock, stock/my safety
I needed that ride home; I'm stuck with strangers now
Well, I don't need your help- Not yours, not no one's
You said you were my friend; you said you were my friend

We made it There with no real problems
And no idea what they had planned for us
One took a shot that passed right through me
And straight into her heart
With no attention paid to my wounds,
I pulled her up and out of harm's way
She was calm; she had no illusion
That she would live through this

You said you were my friend...

And you've become my Jericho
I am no... No Joshua

You said you were my friend...

Words & Music by Daineal James Parker

My Letter to Matthew Scully.

Mr. Scully,

When I read Peter Gourevitch's We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow we will Be Killed with Our Families, I had to balance it out with lighter reading (like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) to keep the heavy, heavy material from sinking my heart down into the depths of despair (Anne of Green Gables, anyone?). Currently I'm about halfway through Dominion, enraptured and braving its pages without any easy-reads or comic relief. I've been a vegetarian for just over 3 years, and this book of yours has made me glad of that and has equipped me, or rather armed me to the teeth, with knowledge and confidence and talking points for the argument of animal advocacy. You have broken my heart in a way that leaves me inspired and empowered (my cat Mason steps on the keyboard as I write this, possibly to contribute his own bit of gratitude, I think) and imagining what I can do in the next 50 or so years of my life to have some impact.

Not only that, but the way you put your words together has me considering going back to school. Occasionally I'll read through a paragraph a second time, marking it with my pen, wondering how you came to know and hone the language so well. Teachers and friends and family and blog readers have consistently praised me for my writing, but Dominion has me humbled; man, do I have a lot to learn. My hat is off to you- I've heard and read great arguments, and I've read great works from great authors, but not until I opened your book did I read such an extraordinary argument paired with an incredible piece of writing, and I thank you for it.

I look forward to the rest of the read, though part of me dreads it.

Thanks again, sincerely,

Dainéal Parker.