Listen up ...

This, Gentlemen, is how a real man does sets things right.




I’m sorry Anna Nicole
- Jonathon Walton

Poetry, it’s my release
My shield from my own grief
The refuge to which I retreat
When this world is too much for me
Phrases on pages
Language my mind speaks
Metaphors and similes
Poetic elements
I just breath.

This poem is entitled I’m sorry
Anna Nicole

I step up to a magazine stand
And it’s like stepping up to an auction block
Because sex is for sale
As I see the bodies of females
On display
For my ‘trying not to look like I’m viewing pleasure’
And I think to myself
“Which one is worse?
The burqa or Bulimia?"

“Ladies, free yourself so we can buy you
Don’t worry about your value
We will define you
Because happenings minus the fact
Equals news for us
And news equals the truth for us
So Anna Nicole must have died from an overdose”

But I know there is a thin line
Between tight and too small
So pornography is just prostitution with taxes
And the fact is
Anna Nicole lost her power of self definition
And it killed her
She become a commodity
A novelty
It really starts to bother me
How brothers under covers
Went to the gutter and had her
For 2.99
Or less

So this is my apology
Because I am one of them
A letter asking for forgiveness from the hearts
Of all women
See dear Anna Nicole, Jenna Jamison
And those Vivid Video Vixens
Those Playmates and Penthouse
And those pictures on the Internet that have no names
Just descriptions

I wish that I could write you a cheque
And give you back what I took
Give you a DVD or a magazine
To upload your self worth
Download your dignity
Or just see what you are really worth
Because I witness images I didn’t have a right to
And I can’t erase my memory
So I have to write you and apologise
For taking something that I paid for a price
But no matter how high
Should have never been mine

I realised something
Standing on the corner of Broadway and 116th
As I saw 57 magazines
And women covered the covers
Of 53
These weren’t just bodies
They were sisters, daughters and mothers
And it was my call to be the best
Husband, son and brother

See now, with a changed heart
I am trying to change
My mind
And my desire
See Anna Nicole makes me worry
But the unnamed make me cry
Because how many girls have died
Or been hospitalised from not eating
Trying to be the ‘right size’
How many pills have been popped
How many drips of blood have been dropped
Onto bathroom floors
Behind dorm room doors
Or those other doors that lock on the opposite sides
Of cell blocks

See, when will we wake up?
And realise we are raising a generation of ‘prosti-tots’
Kids that know how to suck
Before they know how to love
Know multiple positions
Before they know long division
And the minority becomes those
Who are not sexual assault victims

See this is for Denise
Laying down in front of a web cam
And following directions
The wife
Who just found her husband’s private pleasure collection
The girl at the bus stop
Who has just been molested
The Lady
Walking the street followed by cat-calls and craned necks

I’m sorry

And that’s all that I can say

But when I have a son
I will raise him to respect you
And if my poems are bricks
I’ll build word walls to protect you
From males not worthy to hold the title
Of “man”

Sisters and Mothers
I’m sorry

Husbands, Sons and Brothers please
Pick up your bats
Because the women of this world
Are waiting for us
To step up.

Thank you Peter Holmes, brother in Christ

My son's son ...

Arrived October 2. He is beautiful ... I give thanks for his life, for his birth and for his parents being courageous enough, even though counseled to abort him, to ignore the doctor's advice and to bring him into this world.

The saying "like father like son" rings true with this pair...my son's mother was counseled to abort my son. She did not. He was born a mere 10 months after his brother. The mother of my grandson was also counseled to terminate the precious life that she held within her womb. She did not.

Abortion is never the answer to any pregnancy - whether a sibling is a mere ten months older than another, whether the parents are married, whether the child is wanted by his parents...

Each life is precious, unique and wonderfully made and today I give thanks in a very special way that abortion did not touch the life of my son and of his son. I pray that Vince Alexander will have sons, too. Hurray for LIFE!

I am a grandmother to a little boy!

And this is what my little grandson looked like when he was wee tiny, at about three months old. Just amazing, current technology that permits us to look inside a woman's womb - a mother - and see her little one.

I am so grateful to God that Angie and Jesse have chosen life for this baby. I have four granddaughters, who are all a blessing to me, but this little guy is our first grandson.

To God be the glory, now and forever!

I was privileged to be able to fly

I was privileged to be able to fly down to San Francisco (thank you Alaska Airlines mileage program) for the 8th annual Walk for Life West Coast.

The weather was absolutely fantastic - I lived in San Francisco for seven years in the 80's and never recall such gorgeous weather - thank you Lord!

There were between 40 and 50 THOUSAND of us who walked for LIFE! We walked from the Embarcadero (Justin Hermann Plaza) to the Marina Green, a two and a half mile walk...except for the end, which was a HIKE up and over a hill.

We were met, at the beginning of the walk, by protesters, who had bull horns and who yelled and screamed at us. They told us that we lied - that we did not care if women die...what a crock! I guess they do not understand that baby girls are being murdered by abortions ... and that women are hurt by abortions, the risks that the procedure has and sometimes, their abortions end in their own deaths...

We had people making obscene gestures to us - people harassing us ... and we kept marching. The protesters probably numbered one hundred or one hundred and fifty - it was hard to tell because we kept walking and I don't know how many marched along side of us -

It was interesting to see that these protesters, some of whom I photographed, did not walk the whole walk with us - they were only interested in protesting our right (and theirs) to assembly peacefully and to voice our desire to stop the holocaust of abortion, when the media was around.

The media ... ugh! I watched ABC local news that night and the report was that the marchers (us) were only 2,000 strong and we walked a mile. I know that my legs said that we walked the two and a half miles at a snails pace as there were so many of us...

I have lost so much respect for the news reporting in this country - they either ignore 100 thousand feet, walking for LIFE, or they misreport the walk altogether.

Liars, liars .. the lot of them.

Anali - I am glad you have written again

I believe, due to the constraints of the written word, without body language and word intonation, that it is difficult, many times, to get across what a person is trying to explain, so I will try my best by answering your comment.

First - I apologize if you have been injured in any way by my postings. I am post abortive - I had an abortion 41 years ago this April. I lost my son at the gestational age of 16 weeks. I had a second trimester abortion in which I went into labor and my son's life was terminated.

I am pasting in your comment and will reply to your concerns.

Anonymous said...
Wow...
See what I mean?
I left a very honest, very sincere message on this blog and it got distorted into this post.

No. Children in Africa are as precisous as kids anywhere in this world.

Anali - you have made my point - the question was a rhetorical one - that means that of course, I know that children in every continent and nation are precious, created in the image and likeness of God. We, those who are living, have no right to decide that a child must be aborted because it is any less precious than any other person.



I said: People are never kind to anybody who had an abortion.

Anali - how have I been unkind?


THANK YOU for proving me right.
What an insult. And, here I ask the same question - how have I insulted you?

Selfrightiousness is so awful. I agree with you here - self righteousness is awful -

YET:
My questions did not get answered. You asked me if I would care for the children in Africa, if I would find homes for them, if I would feed them and educate them, and my answer was a definite ... YES! Please re-read my post to you.

Nobody cares for all these children in Africa. They are DYING from AIDS and other things. Anali, let us be honest with one another - there are many who do not care about children. HOWEVER, there are many who do care about children, not just those in Africa, a huge continent, but those specifically in South Africa, those who are dying of AIDS and other diseases. But to kill a child (abortion) before it is born does not solve the problem of when a child will die a death due to disease. Abortion, it seems to me, in your mind is a preemptive strike against how a child will die. For instance - if you think a child will suffer with HIV/AIDS, you kill it before it has a chance to breath its first breath.

There is still nobody taking care of them. Anali - be honest - although not every child's need is being met - there are people who do care for the children who are dying and who are in need of orphanages. Let me ask you - what are YOU doing - have you adopted children? Do you spend time in assisting those who are less fortunate than you?
How do I know?
I LIVE HERE!!!!
I SEE IT!

Wow.
What an awful blog this is.So judgemental. How am I being judgmental, Anali? I am stating facts.

And I live in South Africa. Camaroon is very far from where I live. If you recall, Anali, I asked you where in Africa you lived. I realize that Africa is a large continent. It was not until you left the comment I am replying to now that I had any information as to where in Africa you live. At this time, the only Rachel's Vineyard retreat is in Cameroon.

I leave you with this ... you told me if I told you I would find homes for those in your mind, unwanted children that you would "If you are willing to give me an unwavering and loud YES!!!! , I will start and anti-abortion campaign today. right here. Right now. Give me that yes, and I will give you my dedication."

Do you still stand by your word?

Anali - you do realize we are speaking about abortion - the killing of the most innocent among us - and I am so sorry that you lost your child to abortion ten years ago. To take the life, to be the person who decides that their child must die is not natural, not at all natural for any mother or father. When we abort our children, we break with all that we know is right and good. Many times, in order to make our decision to have aborted our child/ren, we justify it with rhetoric such as "there are too many children already" or "too many children are suffering" or "I cannot afford another child" or "my boyfriend will leave me if I have this baby" or other pressures.

It is my firm belief though, Anali, that mothers who have had abortion/s are hurting women. Women who know there is something wrong - and there is no amount of justification of our actions that makes the killing of our own child/ren right. When we permit our defenses to evaporate, when we admit that we, in our fear, in our righteousness, in our justifying our abortion/s were wrong, we can begin to find healing from the procedure that killed our child/ren.

Anali - that is what I am offering you - permission to acknowledge that abortion (any abortion) is always wrong, permission to know that you made a choice to abort your child, which was harmful to you and deadly to your child.

Permission too, to know that although you cannot go back and change the decision you made to abort your baby ten years ago, you can ask God to forgive you, to help you move forward and to be an anti-abortion advocate. In doing so, Anali, you will be sparing others from entering into the same deadly mistake that you and I both made many years ago. God Bless you

Random thoughts

"I live in Africa" ... so, are children in Africa any less precious or created by God?

"I have seen child abuse" ... the ultimate child abuse is abortion - it ends in death 99 % of the time.

"If there was no other way ... " no other way? Abortion is NEVER the way.

"...rude doctor" ... most abortionist do not like performing abortions - they do not like women, no wonder they are rude - to kill is the ultimate rudeness.

"...cried all the way home" ... yes, that is generally what mothers do when their babies die - they cry.

There is hope and healing for those who have had abortions - for those in Africa - there is one Rachel's Vineyard healing retreat in Cameroon - here is the information:

Tiko, SWP Cameroon
Local Host: New Era Clinic
Contact: Mrs. Josephine Onuoha 237-984-4186 or joe_onuoha@yahoo.com
Note: Medical Officer: Dr. Onuoha Matthew 237 984 4186
New Era Clinic
P.O. Box 458
Tiko, SWP Cameroon, Africa
(237) 984 4186 (office)
(237) 335 14 82 (home)
(237) 335 13 06 (fax)
Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Lucus Ngwa

For a complete listing of all retreats and schedules, Rachel's Vineyard Retreats

A great comment from Anali!

I was just mindlessly paging through some blogs, you know, clicking on the “next blog” option, when I came across this one. Abortion is always such a tricky subject, isn’t it? I mean, this is not a subject with grey areas. You are either a yes or a big no on this. Nothing in between. I am a Christian woman. I have a beautiful talented 20 year old son whom I love more than anything in this world. I have also had an abortion about 10 years ago. I remember taking the day off work and travelling to a city 4 hours drive from where I live. I remember the dress I wore. I remember the fear and the tears and the rudeness of the doctor. I remember crying all the way home. The pain. In my heart and in my womb. I also remember the relief. This is not the place or the time to try and sketch my situation. I realized a long time ago that people are not kind to anyone who had an abortion. They judge harshly. Yes. Taking a life was not up to me, was it? And I am sure, have I chosen to keep that baby, I would have, eventually coped. Sometimes we make decisions at a certain time because the fear of whatever is in our lives at that time is bigger than anything else. I would always try and talk somebody out of an abortion. But if there is no other way, I would also drive somebody to the clinic, hold her hand and support her all the way. Everybody does not deal with abortion the same way. I have seen too much of too much in my life to try and be anti-abortion. I have seen child abuse. I have seen unwanted hungry children turning to crime and murder. I live in Africa. You just tell me… Will you raise all those “unwanted” children? Will you give them homes, feed them, educate them? If you are willing to give me an unwavering and loud YES!!!! , I will start and anti-abortion campaign today. right here. Right now. Give me that yes, and I will give you my dedication. ~ Anali

Dear Anali - YES! I can give you an unwavering YES, I will give homes to your babies, educate your babies and permit them to live life, the life that God gave them.

I am sorry that you had an abortion - your child would be 10 years old now. If you did not want the child, I know of many people who would have taken your child in. I am a mother who has adopted three children and would welcome more children in our lives.

I am certain that your decision to abort your baby was based on fear. I do not condemn you for aborting your child, for I too, have had an abortion.

To say that you would take another woman to abort her baby is interesting. You cried all the way home from having had your abortion, you write, and yet, you want that for another woman? You want another woman to have the knowledge that she had a hand in the death of her child?

You write "unwanted" child? By whom is the child unwanted? Certainly, not by God, who is the creator of ALL life.

I am one hundred percent anti-abortion - I am against the killing of any human being - and most definitely against killing those who have done nothing wrong - have not had a trial or a jury decide their fate, except for the jury of their mother, father and doctor. Abortion is very unfair to the unborn -

I too have seen much ugliness in my lifetime - I have traveled and lived in many different countries and have seen suffering throughout the world. I have been to the continent of Africa, but only in the country of Kenya. I have seen poverty - but the greatest poverty is the poverty of believing that it is okay to kill your own baby.

I am glad you wrote - what nation in Africa do you live? Africa is such a large continent and has many diverse cultures in it. Please write again. God bless you -

Julie

our nephew's wife Julie, has just been diagnosed with colon cancer, which, sadly, has already spread to her liver. Please pray for a miracle for this little family - they have a young son and daughter. Thank you -

Hail Mary, Full of Grace
The Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death.

Mary, Mother of God, we ask you to pray with us for intercession for Julie and her health situation. Father of mercies, we trust in You, we know You have the bigger picture in mind, we ask for your mercy.