I wrote the poem and posted it on Facebook, then pretty much forgot about it. Until a year later, when it came up in my memories. I re-read it, and realized I was ready to tell Mick’s story through a book. The book that would reveal some dark secrets, once confided in me by Mick himself. Things he told no one but me. Was this a betrayal? I talked to Mick up in the clouds and told him that his story may have ended differently if only he had accepted the things in his life that he was ashamed of, accepted forgiveness, then used his story for good.
No, this was not a betrayal. This was my way of helping others find forgiveness in their hearts for the Mick in their lives. To understand that when a person takes their own life, there is so much more to their story than what they’ve revealed in life. We can never know what is truly going on inside anyone’s mind other than our own. So be kind. Be forgiving. Honor them regardless of the way they chose to leave.
I retold Mick’s story in a fantasy setting, based on what I imagine might happen to those who leave the earth by their own hands instead of waiting for their time to be called home. There’s the city, which after creating it, might be my version of purgatory. I don’t know. That was not the intention. Then there’s the other place, which was intentional to resemble heaven. My version of it anyway. With that said, it sort of makes sense that the city is a version of purgatory. The story introduces the reader to Mick and then takes them directly to his new life in the city. From there, Mick has to take an honest look at his life and decide the fate of his eternal future.
While the story is fictional, I have dubbed it a fictional biography because many of the elements of Mick’s life in the book did happen to the real Mick. All names, locations and some of the events are made up to protect the privacy of the real Mick and those associated with him. I’ll let the reader decide which is which.
Ready to read? Get the book HERE.