“all the goodness and heroisms will rise up again then be cut down again and rise up it isn’t that the evil thing wins it never will : but that it doesn’t die” † ~ east of eden (for pam) two mountain ranges frame salinas plains one shall bring the sunlight one shall bring the rains we grow up in the shadow of everything before recalling ancient battles reliving prior wars a father builds an altar a brother feels the sting giving every dollar for a broken useless thing dirt is only dirt till you pick out what to sow blood in your veins and a history you know the way may be barred and paradise seems gone but all your choices echo at the break of every dawn 'tis but fleeting shadow slow dissolving stain choosing now to conquer the ghost that haunted cain a mother now feels lost her heart a brittle stone could she leave her children to wander off alone we all carry delusions a false and foolish pride try to find the borderland where dark and light divide marks stay on the forehead guilt sticks in the chest working hard to simply reach a place where we may rest dirt is only dirt till you pick out what to sow blood in your veins and a history you know the way may be barred and paradise seems gone but all your choices echo at the break of every dawn 'tis but fleeting shadow slow dissolving stain choosing now to conquer the ghost that haunted cain sitting in the anteroom slowly sipping tea someone in the corner speaks of mystery need not be a promise shall not be command for it is but a moment held in mortal hand do not need perfection do not need to fall and all you need to read is the writing on the wall heading east of eden where the valley is wide heading east of eden don't need a place to hide you may choose your own road underneath the sun and with a benediction the curse will be undone you may choose you may choose : you may choose rjh 21aug2026 ~ † letter : John Steinbeck to Pascal Covici, 1jan1941 rf :: Steinbeck : A Life in Letters (ed : Elaine Steinbeck and Robert Wallsten). Penguin Books : 1989. cf :: https://www.themarginalian.org/2016/12/30/john-steinbeck-new-year/ sound design by rjh and chat-gpt 5.6 sol (light) illustration by rjh and microsoft copilot guitars :: prs angelus : martin om-28 special thanks to pamela mathy (✨l😘y💋s🌹m✨) for suggesting the steinbeck quote as inspiration for a song ... 🙏
