Write What You Know

from Donna Caubarreaux, writer
 
Home Articles Awards Bookshelf Upcoming Blog Email

 

How often have you heard that phrase?  Write what you know...and wondered exactly, what do they mean?  I have finally discovered what I know.

I know love and laughter.
I know exuberant joy, dancing for the love of it, singing in the shower.
I have tasted whipped cream, fresh strawberries and peas just unleased from their pods.
I have smelled a baby, the woods after a rain, and a rose, heavily laden with dewy petals.
I have touched velvet, sandpaper and a baby's cheek.
I have seen mountains, the seashore and the inside of an iris.
I have heard symphonies, a child singing rhymes and the coo of a dove.
I have seen butterflies dancing on flowers in a gentle breeze.
I have felt the raspy scratch of a cat's tongue, the softness of it's fur, the rumble of it's breathing while content.
I know how to smile at strangers, hug the elderly, and give honest praise.
I have seen wonderment in a child's eyes and an old woman's face.
I know love, of parents, of a man, of children.
I know that life is precious, fleeting and forgiving.
I know first kisses, tender urges, and love's first passion.
I have run my fingers down a man's chest, been lost in a kiss, been sated with lovemaking.
I have felt the flutter of new life, and pushed a tiny foot from under my ribcage.
I know the pain of childbirth, of urging a child through illness, of seeing the first smile, the first tooth, the first step.
I have held a baby so small, so perfect, so wondrous that I thank God for creation.
I have known love, hate, jealousy, anger, and pride at another's accomplishments..
I have cried when hurt, when happy and when watching Dumbo.
I have felt anger, sorrow and deep abiding love.
I know heartache and anxiety.
I have felt the pain of kneeling, praying, and begging for answers.
I have kissed away tears, rubbed my newborn's baby bald head and rubbed it again when she went through chemotherapy.
I have felt tears of hopelessness.
I have seen death and felt compassion for those who are left behind.
I have been in danger, yet survived.
I have known goodness and evil.
I have known fear, anxiety and distress.
I have known love, companionship and friendship.
I know that words can hurt, heal and bring us to tears.
I know that words can also teach, show new ideas and make us believers in life, love and happily ever afters.
I can write what I know...because I now understand that what I do know is the human condition, that which makes us all unique, yet different. 

This is what we tell in our stories.  Life.  Love.  Happiness. 

Isn't that what everyone wants...it's what I want.
I can finally write..."what I know."

 

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1