Having many artistic friends (writers,
musicians, actors etc.) on Facebook and Twitter I have observed that no matter
how successful someone is, criticism and harsh commentary no matter how unwarranted
can really hurt the receiver beyond reason. This little story should help some
people cope with the most horrendous and cutting words.
I used to run a charity reading group for
people recovering from addictions and homelessness. Each week I would give
group members 7/8 pieces of prose and poetry to read and be ready for
discussion the following week. The following poem, by Amado Nervo always
created debate, but there was one session that will always live in my memory.
This particular week I asked members
which piece they would like to start reading. Without hesitation David put up his hand and selected the
Nervo poem. This in itself was a surprise as this was the 5th week of
the course, and David had hardly said
a word up until then. I asked him why he had chosen that poem.
“Because reading it has changed my life
forever,” he replied. David then explained
how he had been set upon and violently stabbed three years earlier, which had
led to his current problems with alcoholism and his state of homelessness.
“I've had endless sessions for anger
management problems and nothings worked at all, and yet I read this poem and
all of a sudden everything made sense. My energies and pain had all been
focused on the thorn, or in my case the knife. I realised I had to forget the
thorn, the knife, the blood and most of all the hatred. I've stuck that poem
over my bed. I'll read each and every day when I get up. For the first time I
can see a positive future for myself.”
I am welling up just writing this. No
matter what people write or say – forget those worthless thorns. If David can overcome his agonising thorns
surely other people's vicious words can be cast aside.
If a thorn wounds me, I draw back from
it;
Amado Nervo
I do not hate the thorn. If, hating me
Some base hand pierces me with malice
blind,
Silent I turn away, and go to find a
purer air of love and charity.
Rancour? For What?
Has good e’er sprang from it?
No wound it staunches, puts no evil
right.
Scarce has my rose tree time to bear its
flowers;
It wastes no vital sap on thorns of
spite,
And if my foe should near my rose tree
pass
He shall pinch from it many a fragrant
bud;
And if he sees in them a vivid red,
And tint will be the redness of my
blood -
Blood drawn by the ill will of yesterday
In hatred that it seemed could never
cease,
And which the rose tree now in perfume
sweet
Returns to him, changed to a flower of
peace.
It was a strange and
twisting road that led to the publication of my first novel. From my humble
beginnings, as an office clerk, to ownership of a multi-million dollar business
I always maintained my love for literature.
Born and raised in Bristol,
England. I spent most of my life in business, my companies turning over in the
region of $500 million. The majority of that time marketing cars, eventually
owning the largest Saab specialist in the world, before a bitter divorce forced
me rethink my priorities. Particularly between 2003 and 2005 when I had to
accept that I was no longer a millionaire but literally penniless. I avoided
bankruptcy by the skin of my teeth and slowly rebuilt my life.
This led me to the life
changing decision to leave the bustling city and move to live halfway up a
mountain in the Welsh valleys. At the same time I started a part time six year
English Literature course at Bristol University, and attended creative writing
classes at Cardiff University. I left school at sixteen and this was my first
taste of further education and an immense challenge.
I eventually adjusted my
thinking to the academic life, and on 30 June 2015 had confirmation of my
2.1(Hons) degree from Bristol University. At the same time I also won the
prestigious Hopkins Prize for my essay on Virginia Woolf and the unsaid within
her text. Now the university courses are finished it will, with any luck, gives
me plenty of extra time that I can devote to my fiction writing.
Thanks to the university
experiences, my interest in English literature has flourished over recent
years. Hopefully I have evolved as a writer from my earlier work in short
stories (over ninety of them.) Although interestingly my first three novels
have all been developed from a long forgotten short story.
Life is, once again, very
good, and I live very happily halfway up a mountain, in the Welsh Valleys, with
my wonderful partner Mari, and our rescue dog Wolfie.
Facebook www.facebook.com/michaelross.writer
Twitter @mikerosswriter
Website www.michaelrosswriter.com
Goodreads Mike Ross
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