To Be Loved
A Thousand Dimensions
Volume 1 2022
Our one wish is to be loved,
cared for,
and free from society's pressure.
How about finding peace,
within this mortal realm?
A place to belong,
whether living or dead. If only…
Can I help you?
Not really
Who are you anyway?
How did you get in here?
That’s a good jumper, mate
I like it
Oh, that?
Yeah. Full of Holes!
… and sums up how I feel
Why?
Why what?
I mean I don’t know who you are!
And I don’t suffer fools gladly!!
And I don’t want you preaching!!!
Ha! Preaching?
Me? Preach? Pull the other one!
No. I've just popped in …
Yeah, but who the hell are you?!
It doesn’t matter …
Look!
I think you’d better leave mate okay?
You’re pissing me off.
You’re pissing me off too.
Got any of that wine?
Oh, this is just bloody stupid!
I’ll go, but I'd like a drink first.
Okay?
Huhhhhhhhh!?!?!
Okay, wait here!
‘wish to be loved…’
What did you say?
‘cared for…’
(non-plussed)
Got that drink?
You’ve got grapes
I often see it in the images
you send out sometimes as a thank you -
Grapes, glasses and wine.
That’s class, Dragan!
Here. How do you know my name?
I just do.
Are you a stalker mate?
Coz if you are then I can tell you now
You’ll be out that door faster than your bloody
arse came in.
Yep. That’s my Dragi.
Direct, blunt and to the point.
That’s why I like you!
‘Free from society’s pressure…’
Look, I'm sorry if I was rude
and I'm sorry if you overheard me muttering,
I do that sometimes.
I mean we all do don’t we?
Like we talk to ourselves without really realising
we are…
Sure. Except you didn’t.
You wrote it.
Wrote it?
So you HAVE been looking at my stuff.
Now explain yourself because I'm no mug.
I've seen shit in this life
And it hurts okay?
And I’ll hurt you if I have to…
No, you won’t…
What do you…?
You have a pure heart
Awareness alights his face
an awareness that he’s looking at
someone not of this city
this town
this district
this country
oh my g … … … …
this realm…
this other realm
May I sit?
Lost in a sea of thoughts
A lifetime of contradictions
A life of seeing hell on earth
of death and destruction
annihilation
of abandonment
no home
just a dirty road to walk
a hasty dash at night
under cover of darkness
with strangers
with soldiers seeking out
his people, even him
for who he is
for who his family is
for what he is
for what his family are
Dragan …
He glances…
Dragan sit down.
Sit on the bed.
I’ll sit here on the desk chair.
I quite like it actually.
My friends often sit here
when you’re working …
I often sit here too
I love the way you do your studies
The way in which you maintain
Your inventory of everything
Your ability to catalogue
and of course,
your skill with your pen
and the sheer divine touch
you bring with your lens.
‘A place to belong,
Whether…’
Yes…whether living or dead
Look, I don’t know how you
know all this
but there is something… …
…I feel stupid saying it…
Go on
I can take it
Well, like you’re
not of this realm
I mean, you’re of an immortal realm…
God! What the hell am I saying?
I’ll be asking you if you’ve got
Wings next!
He smiled
Eyes darker than wine,
Teeth whiter than milk
And a radiance glowed from within him
And cast a blueness – a royal blue
Across Dragan’s shadow
That even he could see in the mirror opposite
You’re not actually far from the truth
How many dimensions can you see?
Dimensions?
What sort of question is…
Well…three dimensions and
I guess for people who have their faith
Then they’d insist on a fourth dimension
Good. Keep in mind from now on
A minimum of one thousand dimensions
Okay?
A thousand? … …!!
Um sorry. Yes. Right.
Dragan, the questions and statements
you made…
We hear you.
And I’m here to reassure you
that you are greatly loved,
greatly cared for,
and the way your life is unfolding
as you are surrounded by your family and friends,
the family and friends that YOU are creating
in place of your natural loss
is a joy and wonder to behold for Us
and We are here with you all the time
You’ve asked for a place to belong
both in life and death
Dragan, I'm here to reassure you
That your place, your belonging
IS already part of you
You are spirit
I am spirit.
You are created
I am created.
I'm from that immortal realm.
But because I'm created
I'm not to be worshipped kiddo!
I’ll say it again lad.
Because I’m created
you are not to worship me or my kind!
Got it?
… a slow, very slow silent nod of each syllable …
yes, got it
Continue along the path you now walk,
And you WILL have all of the petitions
that you desire of Him, of Them
Do you understand?
Verstehen Sie?
wide-eyed wonderment
What do you mean?
You’re not a ghost
I can see you’re flesh and blood!
Yes
Remember that story at school
you liked?
Who rolled the stone?
Yep, that’s the one.
It was quite heavy!
A wink of the eye
that dazzled as a diamond!
A flash so bright as to make the morning sun seem dull
I do like this holey jersey of yours.
HARD TIMES!
but Dragi, you’re not alone.
Are you saying you’re an angel?
What’s more, the one who rolled the stone
In Gethsemane?
I thought…sorry…wings
The Angel of the LORD
Stood with glory all around him
Alighting the study
Now, a crimson glow
I bring you His blessing
by His Command
The LORD bless you and keep you Dragan,
The LORD makes His Face to shine upon you Dragan,
And the Countenance of the LORD anoint you.
And They send you Their Peace
Ich bringe dir seinen Segen
auf seinen Befehl
Derr Herr segne dich und behalte dich, Dragan.
Derr Herr lässt sein Gesicht auf dich scheinen Dragan,
Und das Antlitz des HERRN, dich zu salben
Und sie senden dir ihren Frieden
A touch, feather-like, of the hand upon his head
And in that final instant
The royal blue transcended by
The whiteness of the wings
As he departed
Those eyes, that smile
Seared onto Dragan’s mind forever
*
Did he dream?
He awoke with the first rays of the morning sun
The scene, as vivid then as it had been in the night
What an incredible dream!
Have I been reading too much?
He glanced at his jersey on the coat hangar
The words did not feel so harsh or stark today
He went into the bathroom … paused …
slowly, very slowly turned …
hesitantly he walked back out, still with the toothbrush
protruding out of his mouth
The holes have gone
It’s perfect!
25 November 2022
All Rights Reserved
© Kenneth Thomas Webb 2023
Composed on the train Cheltenham to Liverpool ~ 2 January 2014
… the royal blue transcended by the whiteness of his wings as he departed …
What an incredible dream! Have I been reading too much? … …
What a dream … was it a dream? Why does this jersey now have no holes in it? It is too early to think. I’ll sit awhile and people watch on the pavement - the first morning coffee is always the best!
Afterword 2022
It matters not our faith or no faith ... I'm not really into church ... I don't like being told what to do and what not to do ... and I don't like being made to feel I'm the dog's turd because I'm of a different denomination.
Every religion does this. Every denomination within every religion.
Down history, we see the centuries littered with cruelty, carnage, and the most shocking behaviour by people towards people. That doesn't stop me from thinking outside the box.
God help the man or woman who says, 'oh you can't take communion because you haven't been in the confessional and confessed your sins, you're the wrong denomination ... so you're, well, spiritually unclean...
Ken Webb is a writer and proofreader. His website, kennwebb.com, showcases his work as a writer, blogger and podcaster, resting on his successive careers as a police officer, progressing to a junior lawyer in succession and trusts as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, a retired officer with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and latterly, for three years, the owner and editor of two lifestyle magazines in Liverpool.
He also just handed over a successful two year chairmanship in Gloucestershire with Cheltenham Regency Probus.
Pandemic aside, he spends his time equally between his city, Liverpool, and the county of his birth, Gloucestershire.
In this fast-paced present age, proof-reading is essential. And this skill also occasionally leads to copy-editing writers’ manuscripts for submission to publishers and also student and post graduate dissertations.
