I saw his picture on FanStory's cover page. I saw it and immediately knew --he was gone...
In terror, I wanted to look away, to shut off, close, freeze my understanding.

A chill rushed through my body when I read the news : Alvin E Ellington, my mentor and friend, was gone.
I waded from the edges of my consciousness to the center of the tragedy, taking short laps, swallowing it all in tiny, manageable salty bits.

I never met him personally, but one thing I can say: I am a better person just by receiving comments he wrote to me about my writing, my life.. This one, written in one of his classes, I remember most: "Nancy, don't just look and describe in cold. No. Look and voice what that something is telling to you." Since then, I swear I can hear the bliss of a rose when it blooms...

Now, high above clouds, he is schooling those angels...
Vaya con Dios, buen amigo...


sage and wise mentor
who taught me to see and hear

each leaf has a story
I can hear the bliss of a rose when it blooms.