Jamieson Wolf
Number-one bestselling author
(Me) (Myself) and I – A Poem
When I got
on the bus,
there wasn’t anywhere
to sit. I
had to stand.
I held on
to the pole
in front of
me, feeling the
bus move and
shift around me.
I marvelled that
I could do
such a thing,
something as simple
as riding a
bus standing up,
when a year
ago, I wouldn’t
have been able
to do so.
I noticed a
man sitting down
on a seat
to my right.
He held a
cane between his
legs. He caught
me staring and
smiled at me.
“You look like you have something to be happy about.”
I tried to
look respectful, hoping
he would forgive
my obvious rudeness
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I used to walk with a cane.”
He nodded, as
if he had
expected this response.
“What was yours named?”
“Hugo.”
I said, letting
the word out
in a breath
of soft air.
“Mine too.”
He said. He
held up his
cane and I
saw the brand
name stamped there.
“Why think of a better name when it already has one, right?”
“Right.”
I said, smiling.
He gave me
a serious look
and when he
spoke again, it
was like the
air around him
began to shimmer.
“Never be sorry for your strength. For what you’ve been able to accomplish.”
He said. He
shrugged and gave
me a smile
that I recognized
because I had
worn it. I
looked at his
face, really looked
at it and
something clicked within
me, I reached
to touch him,
to touch myself,
for he wore
my own face,
had my eyes.
He was me
as I had
been over a
year (lifetime) ago.
Me, myself
and I began
to fade away.
I wondered if
he (if I)
had been riding
the bus this
whole time, if
I had left
behind a piece
of myself. As
I thought this,
he reached out
and dropped a
small blue pebble
into my hand
“Here. You forgot this. It’s time you took it back. Don’t look back, though. Only go forward.”
“What is this? What do I do with it?”
He (I?) smiled
and gave me
a kind look.
“It’s a seed from where you used to be.”
“What do I do with it?”
He (myself?) gave
me another deep
smile, almost chuckling.
“You plant it, silly. Watch it grow. Make something wonderful out of what was. Don’t look back, only forward.”
He (me?) faded
away completely and
I was left
holding a piece
of myself that
I had forgotten.
I had not recognized
what I had
been, but I knew
who I had
become. I would
follow the advice
that I (me?)
had given myself.
I would plant
the seed and,
as it grew,
so would (me)
(myself) I.
Conversation Going Forward – A Poem
I saw him
before he saw
me. As I
had walked towards
him, it had
taken me a
moment to even
recognize him. He
looked like someone
I should know.
When I realized
who he was,
I made a
decision. I wasn’t
going to change
my path, just to
accommodate him. So
I kept walking.
His head snapped
up and looked in my
direction, almost as
if he had
heard me speak
his name. His
eyes were cold
like the air
around us, like
the snow that
fell from the
skies. We came
even nearer to
each other. I
wondered if this
would be the
time where he
would speak, would
tell me what
happened between us.
As we came
closer to each
other, he looked
as if he
was going to
say something. I
wondered what it
could be, what
he could say:
“Look, we have to talk. “
“It was all a misunderstanding.”
“I’m sorry.”
I thought of
stopping, but I
realized that what
ever he had
to say to
me had already
been said, all
those years ago.
At least, it
that was true
for me. How
odd that I
had waited for
this moment for
seven years and
now realized I
had already said
everything? He stopped
in front of
me and went
to speak, but
I kept walking
along my path
into what the
future would bring
and left him
behind me in
the past.
Now and Forever – A Poem
Just when I thought I would be
Alone for the rest of
My life,
I met you.
Every day, you
Show me that
Our love will only grow,
Now and forever. You are
A wish made, something I
Never thought would happen but
Dreamed about constantly.
My heart belongs to you.
I love you so
Completely and I’m
Honoured to have your love
And support in return.
Everything you do only makes me
Love you more.
When Goodbye Becomes Goodnight – A Poem
It’s hard to sleep
at night when half
of my heart is not
beside me.
I find it difficult
to take in a full breath,
when he is not
with me.
Every time he leaves,
saying goodbye when
the night comes
to an end,
I watch half
of my heart walk
out of the door.
I wish that I could
control time so that
I could speed it up
to the moment that
we’re able to live together.
Then I think of all
the wonderful times
with him that I would
miss if time was
under my control.
So, instead, I will
simply have to remain
patient for the moment
that the two halves
of my heart are reunited and
goodbye becomes goodnight.
The Top Ten Books of 2014
It’s been a FANTASTIC year for books. There were so many great reads this year that my bookshelves and my Kindle couldn’t keep up.
It’s been hard to narrow it down to just ten books that I felt stood out from the rest. I haven’t read as much as I wanted to this year, but I did manage to read just over 60 books, so more than a book a week.
These were the books that stood out from the crowd for me. To make it on the list, the book had to be published in 2014.
All set? Here we go!
10- The Table of Less Valued Knights by Marie Philips
This is a delightful read from start to finish. It reminds me a lot of The Princess Bride mixed with healthy doses of Monty Python and The Holy Grail.
Part camp, part quest and all part hilarious, this novel surprised and delighted me from start to finish. It also had me laughing out loud in quite a few places.
I was curious to see how Philips would follow up her first novel Gods Behaving Badly. I love that book a lot and have read it multiple times.
I’m happy to say that I loved The Table of Less Valued Knights even more and can’t wait to re-read it!
9- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
I won’t lie: this book frightened me.
The fact that the protagonist knows as little as the reader, but that she’s so emotionally invested in the story had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the urgency of the novel, the creepy intimacy. I also loved how we never found out the characters names.
Blending science fiction with elements of suspense and fantasy. it’s also ground breaking due to the fact that all three volumes of the trilogy were released this year. It was a thrill ride, every moment, and not a word wasted.
8- Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood
This is Atwoods most wonderful book yet.
It follows on the heels of MaddAddam and is almost quiet by comparison, but no less amazing. The first three tales make up almost a novella and there’s where the collection really shines. The three tales, each focusing on a different character.
The rest of the stories are filled with different kinds of people and make us examine what we would do if in their shoes and encompasses many different emotions. The collection is filled with some of Atwood’s best writing; it’s elegant, thought provoking and haunting. I can’t wait to read it again.
7- Robin’s Hoods by Darren Craske
You’ve never read the story of Robin Hood like this.
A mix of dystopia, science fiction and fantasy, this is the retelling of Robin Hood you’ve always wanted to read. Craske takes a simple “what if?” and twists it on its ear, giving us what is arguabley one of his best novels yet.
Though he’s written several wonderful adult novels, he really shines when he’s taking on the young adult genre. What I loved most about this novel was that, at its heart, it was about bravery and that when push comes to shove, anything is possible.
6- Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
I waited with anticipation for this book.
After Miss Pergerine’s Home For Peculiar Children, I was left spellbound. Riggs tells a tale of a house full of pecurliar children in another time mixed with real found photos that give the story a creepy feel.
To say that my expectations for Hollow City were high would be an understatement. However, Riggs blew them out of the water and went beyond what I had thought possible.
I’m now highly anticipating the third book! I love when that happens.
5- Revival by Stephen King
This is arguably Stephen King’s most accomplished novel to date.
Yes, Mr. Mercedes was wonderful, but Revival was electric. It dealt with loss, aging, drug abuse, death and what lays beyond. It’s not a light read by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a great one.
If I have one complaint about the novel it’s how they marketed it as dark horror. It’s a very dark book indeed but not horror really until the last 40 pages.
Should that take away from your enjoyment? Nope. Read it and prepare to be riveted.
4- Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
I love Sarah Addison Allen’s books.
She writes such wonderful magical realism that you can’t help but be pulled into the story and begin to believe that magic is real.
In Lost Lake you have a woman who is desperate to find herself again. Eby hopes to reclaim a part of herself by visiting a place from her childhood. What she doesn’t expect is to find a piece of her future.
Beautiful in every way.
3- The Silworm by Robert Galbraith
How does J. K. Rowling do it?
Not only did she create the world of Harry Potter, but she’s created Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacot are the most thrilling detectives to grace the printed page in years.
When a novelist disappears and is found, killed like one of the victims in his novel, Strike knows that he is in a race against time against a killer who knows no bounds.
What I love about Rowling’s Galbraith novels is that I can’t figure them out. I’m as surprised by anyone at the ending. Marvelous brain candy!
2- Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
This novel surprised the heck out of me.
I love Picoult’s writing, but was blown away by this one. It is told in alternating chapters of present and past with a roving narrative told in the voices of Jenna, Alice, Serenity and Virgil.
Jenna wants to find her mother, Alice, who disappeared thirteen years ago. Virgil is the police detective that worked on her case and Serenity is a disgraced physic. When Virgil, Serenity and Jenna get together, anything can, and does, happen.
Intertwined is Alice’s story of her past, giving us glimpses into what happened. To say any more abou this novel would be to take away from the sense of discovery.
Trust me, you’ll want to read this book. I already want to read it again.
1- The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown
It was hard to decide on just one of Alexandra Brown’s two books this year. I loved both of them, but the one I’ve already read twice is The Great Christmas Knit Off. It was just such a great, feel good book.
It was great to see Brown try something different but still give us characters that we can fall in love with. Sybil, Lawrence, Hettie and more. She always creates characters that feel like friends rather than people on the page.
You can read my review of The Great Christmas Knit Off here: https://jamiesonwolfauthor.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/the-great-christmas-knit-off-by-alexandra-brown-a-book-review/
Whew! That’s it for 2014! Bring on 2015!
Happy reading!
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Jamieson Wolf has written a compelling story about navigating multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. His story will touch your heart, make you cry, then laugh, and inspire you. A touching memoir with a bit of magic…and tarot! ~ Theresa Reed, author of The Tarot Coloring Book
Jamieson Wolf 