Please visit Linda Ellis' Web Site at: www.lindaellis.net
Home of "The Dash" Poem!
"It matters not, how much we own,
the cars...the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash."
The Dash's Dash
(1996 - XXXX)
After we sent out a mailing last week, it became evident to me that many people on our mailing list weren't aware of my poem, The Dash, which is the basis upon which that mailing was written. I considered that an accomplishment, because it meant my other works had brought folks to my web site to join my list. I've written hundreds of poems and stories and frankly, did not want to be known as a "one-hit wonder." However, I cannot deny that writing The Dash poem is the single most pivotal point in my life regarding the direction of my career.
I've used the term "The Dash's Dash" because this creation, this unique combination of 241 words, has literally created a life, and therefore a dash, of its own. Its "birth" occurred in 1996 when I wrote the poem, and yet the date of its demise will never be a reality. Its own life is infinite, its legacy carved in stone, and it will live on long after the footprints its creator has left on earth have faded. I've come to humbly realize that somewhere inside its simple stanzas lies the mystery and complexity of life. Its rhythmic message subconsciously forces the reader to be suddenly, keenly aware the brevity of it all. It has touched more lives than anyone could ever imagine or calculate, and will continue to do so for generations to come.
I've also recently realized, that although I own the copyright to The Dash, it's as though I no longer own the poem...in a way, the world does. I compare it to a seed I'd planted many years ago, which quickly sprouted and continues to grow exponentially being constantly cultivated by the millions of souls inspired by its message. It's unfathomable to me the number of loving legacies, rerouted journeys, smiles worn and tears shed as a result of my writing this work.
Timing is everything, they say. The Dash entered the world in a time of a technological explosion and has since become an entity unto itself. Full time, around the clock, it continues to work each day touching lives and touching hearts. As a rational person who requires tangible evidence to sway my opinion, I must admit I've come to believe in, and accept, the concept that this poem has a unique purpose and a reason for its creation and existence. Maybe propelled by a higher power or force of nature, or maybe just sheer coincidence, but how else can one explain its enormous effect on the world having been originated by one woman without the wherewithal or resources at the time to launch such an explosive inspiration into the world? I was busy living my own dash, while the poem was out working its magic. It took me many years, and countless stories of this inspiration reaching the lives of those who need it, when they need it, to truly believe in its power. Though still bewildered, I no longer doubt its abilities.
I was complimented in an interview recently, where the gentleman said in reference to the more than 300,000 "The Dash" products sold, "it's very impressive where you've taken The Dash poem." I replied, "it's more impressive where The Dash poem has taken me..."
Linda Ellis
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