Fences Real and Imaginary

Fences Real and Imaginary  ©

By Michael Casey

I was having my breakfast and as I looked out the kitchen window after popping my morning heart pills I wondered what I’d write about today. I’m steaming towards that 1,000,000 words just 40,000 short according to the word count, so its a target for me and it is an achievement for me even if its just Donald Trump and Michael Moore who read my stuff at 3am in the morning. They ring each other up and after 5 mins of cursing they laugh for another 5 mins before discussing just what the hell does this Birmingham England guy mean.

So despite this surreal cartoon picture I have just given you the first example of a fence, or rather a fence being broken down. Laughter and sharing breaks down barriers, as does sharing food or having a beer, non alcoholic drinks are available. Breaking bread has been around for a long long time, and as he broke the bread they recognised him, if you remember your Sunday School, other Faiths are available.

Truces can be made, guns can be put to one side and people can play a game of football, Christmas 1914 on the Western Front, you can check the History down your local library. You may even meet your future wife down the library and change both your lives. In Its a Wonderful Life if Jimmy Stewart hadn’t been born his wife would have been an old spinster at the library. So do visit your library or visit Hudsons Book Shop in Birmingham or wherever you live.

A book breaks down barriers as it opens your mind to ideas and thoughts other than your own, it destroys fences in your mind, these are the worse fences of all, far higher than any Berlin Wall. Read a good book, or even The Good Book, other good books are available. A work of fiction can also set fire to fences and touch your very soul.

The Book Thief is the best book I’ve even read, very poetically written, if I compared my writing to his, he’s a 10 and I’m a 1. The book made me cry and I so wanted the girl to live, but you need to read the book for yourself, not watch the film, read the book.

Talking to folks opens your mind and heart too, I was lucky to stumble into hotel work because I came into contact with loads of different people, staff and our very well heeled guests. And yes the nicest people were the Coronation Street people, hard working Northerners, give us a kiss Michael and show us the photos was what one guest used to say when she passed by for the shows.

Her spirit and others guests was testament to a character that had no barriers, I may be carrying her bags and she was paying 300 a night but she behaved like I was an equal, she did not believe in any barriers just hard work, very hard work.

They say that the Worst brings out the Best in people, and so it does, it also brings out the rats who’ll steal the Relief Aid, in Africa, in the Caribbean or after a hurricane in the Deep South. When your Life has been stripped naked, when your very home has been blown away and all you have are the clothes on your back, when all the fences are down, Literally and Figuratively who are you gonna call, if the cell tower hasn’t been blown away, it won’t be ghost busters that’s for sure.

It will be your Neighbour, and who is your neighbour if you remember your Sunday School, other schools are available, and who will be the Good Samaritan who won’t pass by on the other side of the street. Your neighbour is the guy behind his 10feet fence which was blown away in the storm, he is your neighbour just as you are his. Now you will find what you both have in common as you huddled together in the basement.

You held your kids tight and you had the family photo album chained to your wrist in a briefcase. You both thought you had cash in the bag, but it was your wedding photos and photos of your deceased parents The Storm could have your house, your car and even your barn. But the Storm would never have your kids nor your family photos, and your daughter’s pet rabbit which was in the briefcase too.

Sheltering from the storm all the fences, all the barriers are down, there is only one thing left, common humanity and love for your families. So this Christmas 2016 remember a baby born in the manger where Kings and Shepherds came to pay homage, there were no Fences just Love and Hope and Peace ruled. 

where my mum was born and lived in 1920s Ireland till age 12 with 8 other siblings