Searching For The Universal Metaphor

Many years ago, I was sitting on the edge of a conversation in sunny San Diego between an Artistic director and one of the board members of the community theater where I was spending some of my time off from the Navy. The board member was, frankly, a bit of a tool, but seemed enthused to see Community Theater flourish on the banks of Glorietta Bay. My pal the Director was happy to have the theater as an artistic outlet, and the low key demands to the little playhouse fit him nicely.

Relations between Corporate Tools and Artists are not always happy, but they are often amusing.

Anyhow, the Tool became curious about just what the Artist did for a living. Of course, he was interesting and educational to talk too, and he had some interesting visions for the productions at the Playhouse, but this was a strictly volunteer gig. What about his Day Job?

Finally, Hal let on that he was a writer. This wasn't enough for the Tool. Whaddaya mean a writer? Do you write novels? Do you publish short stories? Are you a journalist? In actuality, Hal did all of these things, not to mention working as a day laborer, a substitute teacher, and part time community theater director.

Rather than satisfy the Tool with a straight answer, Hal airily explained “My job is to search for the Universal Metaphor...”

O.K., this little seem was an exercise in intellectual and artistic snobbery, plain and simple, and I should probably apologize to the Universe for participating in it, let alone remembering and relating it. The point is, this conversation was the source of an Image that has haunted me for more than twenty years; a writer's job is to search for the Universal Metaphor.

To be honest, I have no idea if there are writers who think that their mission in life is to search for a Universal Metaphor, or if there is even such a thing as a Universal Metaphor. I do know that over the years I have been told that my writing has a good “voice”. What is amazing to me is that for the last few years I have actually made a living tapping out my thoughts from in front of a keyboard.

My “professional writing” has been for other people, so it has been what they wanted to say. I don't have a problem with that. What they have to say must be important because they are paying me to say it. But Searching For The Universal Metaphor is about what I want to say.

I will not promise that what I have to say will ever be important, let alone right. I won't even promise that it will be the Truth, what ever that is. It will probably be the truth, not for any moral or philosophical reason- the fact is I am just too lazy to make up and support lies.

The problem with the Truth is that it is not always pretty, or even entertaining. But you know what? Sometimes it really is! If you have spent any time at all knocking around God's marvelous creation, you will have seen some beautiful and wonderful things. I know that my life, such as it is, has had beautiful and wonderful moments.

If you, Gentle Reader, are willing to stick with me in this space for awhile, I will promise to share some of these things.