I think it’s appropriate to start this blog off by detailing why I chose the name that I did.

Passages in Black is the name of a poem my oldest brother, Dion Cautrell, wrote for me for my high school graduation.  I’ll be posting it here so that whomever reads this can enjoy the poem as much as I have.

Passages in Black

–For Heidi Allison, Sister of Mine

Let streaming moments of molten life,
fluid, black like so much ink,
follow you always–over the threshold

into open space,
through the door of lightness of mind.
Be sure in yourself,

in those tatters of time.
Be sure in your passages,
your passionate voice.

Carry them always
those streaming moments of molten life.

Copyright © 1997 by Dion Cautrell

I chose this for my beginning entry because this poem has always heartened me whenever I’ve thought of giving up because my writing just wasn’t flowing the way I wanted it to.  Each time I read this poem I feel a lightness of mind and spirit.

If there’s one thing my brother is good at, it’s writing and inspiring others with his words.  He’s a professor of English at the University of Nebraska in Kearney.  He’s a dedicated teacher and he’s passionate about what he does.  And though we’ve not always saw eye to eye (imagine that from siblings!), I’ve always admired and respected my brother and what he does.

I’m not always witty, nor humorous, though I do have my moments.  You won’t always find amazing things on this blog, but you will find my honest thoughts and questions as I explore what I can do with my writing.  Perhaps I’ll be published, perhaps not.  Regardless, I’ll be sharing my journey here, with whomever happens to land here.  By accident or design, I hope you enjoy your stay here.

Tags: Poetry