With interest, I read the SFWA announcement of Pamela Petro’s lecture at our monthly meeting. I catch part of the title of one of her books; focus on the words “Presence of Absence”.
I think, “How often have I been physically in one place but mentally in another?”
Yes, we can be in two places at the same time.
Yes, we all do it.
As kids, we perfect this skill watching the black arms on our classroom’s circular clock crawl toward the three and twelve.
And boy did we perfect the art of daydreaming.
And as I daydream, I question: Is the presence of absence an oxymoron?
You bet it is.
Then my brain jumps to other oxymorons, Simon and Garfunkel’s, “Sounds of Silence” and John Legend’s, “All of Me.”
I love Legend’s lyrics:
I love all your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections.
So if you’re dying to live, and you don’t want to be absent from our presence, join us or you’ll miss Pamela Petro’s perfect imperfections.
Join us to hear Smith College’s own Pamela Petro speak about “The Long Field X-Ray’d – The Insider Story on How I Found the Skills and Guts to Write the Book” at the South Florida Writers Association’s monthly meeting on Saturday, May 4, 2024, Pinecrest Library, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and on ZOOM, Login: 838 9971 8493.
Hope to see you there.
