Ascent of Man

Ascent of Man

Eric Campos


The boy entered the woods with a cautious stride,
for he was alone,
and the forest veil held many dangers,
many trials.

A Norse boy, his hair fell long and fair,
blue sapphire eyes staring forth,
as he moved into the wilderness,
far out of the hands of Man.

He had only a bow and a few arrows, a knife,
and clothes to shield him from the northern wind,
a hunter alone.

The wolf’s bale in the midnight,
the flowing creek,
the ancient trees,
the running deer,
the falling snow,
these were his companions and he learned in their presence.

He listened and watched, in the silent way.
He learned the language of all before him, and lived,
he thrived under the trees’ shadows.

From the wolf, he learned stealth and the art of the hunt,
learned to kill for the nourishment of his own.
Survival.

In the flowing creek, and the waters, the boy learned patience
as he plied a fisherman’s rod for food. It taught him direction,
and also the gratitude for quenched thirst.

The ancient trees and plants taught him beauty, and gifted him with shade,
they gave him sweet foods to eat, and taught him those bitter.
They taught him growth, and bounty.

The deer and other prey taught him humility,
for it was them he killed and lived from.
The deer taught him life and death;
everything lives,
everything dies.

The Northern snows, and raging tempests, and heat,
they taught him the way of the seasons of the Earth.
They taught him to build shelter,
and the pride of the work of his own hands.

He learned many other things,
He learned all the languages of the world around him.
He learned beauty and struggle,
and the Norse boy grew a Man.

One day the Man left the hall of trees,
settled away from the woods,
and made his own home.
He forgot all that he had learned.
He no longer needed them.

Life is a Highway: A Reflection on Life’s Seasons

Life is a highway. It’s not just a Rascal Flatts song; it’s an accurate and appropriate metaphor. In my case it’s the Atlanta highway which I recently got off of- God help me. In my premier blog I mentioned that we all have to ‘follow our own red road’, I never said it was easy to find, nor that it is an easy journey.

It’s a Native American saying, to find (or follow) your own red road. The red road, road of life pertains to all of us. We all take a different path, we all have different pursuits and dreams and goals, but we all have to go through life, and at times it is not an easy trek at all. What every human being has in common is struggle, traffic on that highway, bumps in the road. Hurtles that come out of nowhere and from anyone. Everyone has good times. Everyone has bad times. And it was in one of the hardest times of my life that I wrote Life’s Seasons.

I wrote it with a stressed laugh, I actually took a moment and just laughed at my run of bad luck, but it really was a hard time. It felt like I had a beautiful stretch of just being on top of the world, hair in the breeze as I fly down I75 in my 69 Mustang (no I don’t have one, but I can dream can’t I), and then all of a sudden, all that was gone. Bumper to bumper traffic- no- crash! I’m not trying to sound depressed or make you feel miserable, God I hate it when people try to sell a sob story - no. I had a tough stretch but I pulled myself out of it, I pulled myself out of Hell and climbed back onto the road. It made me stronger.

Life’s Seasons is about the trends of life we all feel, seasons, though when I was writing it, I described these seasons as metaphysical places- because let’s face it when it comes to life itself, good, bad, hot, cold just doesn’t cut it. Paradise, everyone’s been there; job is good, grades are awesome, you got the best people in the world around you- nothing can go wrong. Later this euphoria dials down; things aren’t so shiny, welcome to the world. Things are good and bad here but you’re getting by, things are still alright but it’s not always smooth. Purgatory is relatively bitter, cold. The road is harder and relationships, progress, all seem to be stale and just not moving, not going your way. One begins to have doubts, self doubt. If things don’t pick up at this point, it can form the perfect plank to fall straight into Hell .These are when times are hard, really hard, things aren’t picking up, it feels like you’re just sinking. Rage, sadness, hardship. Tartarus comes from Greek Mythology, it is the deepest most dire center of Hades. Hell times two. Here we find hopelessness, loneliness, despair. It’s when you feel you have no hope and that it’s just getting worse. It’s at this time you have to dig deep within your soul and pull yourself out of that hole.

Once and a while we all end up in Tartarus, the true test of character is the grace and perseverance we display while getting up, taking a few hits, and then continuing the fight. The road of life has its ups and downs. It’s important to soak in the good times and push through the hard ones, because while both are important, it’s those times of struggle that strengthen your character. I know of people who have gone through far worse times than I ever had, and it is they I admire most. We all have hard times, but with faith, with persistence, anyone can overcome them. Like the seasons, they too shall pass.

Life's Seasons

Life’s SeasonsEric Campos

For a time I was in Paradise,
Then brought down to Earth,
Sank into Purgatory,
Then dropped into Hell,
And straight to the pit of Tartarus.

Welcome To Shield Hall

Like any novel, with its preface or prologue, I begin with an introduction. This blog is meant to act as a sanctuary, a shield hall, from the drum of everyday stresses and boredom. It is where I hope to extend my creativity and writing to the outside world. To you, my readers, I hope to entertain and spark curiosity that will tear you from the infamous sour day, that boring reality, that 'Oh God, why is this happening to me?' moment, and share with you the art of writing, my art.



Among many other things, I am a writer. More specifically, I write fiction and am currently working on several projects which I hope to publish in the future. Now, in this blog, I plan to present various personal reflections ranging from topics covering Film, Books, TV, Music, Current Events, Personal Life Stories, Martial Arts, Theology and Philosophy, History, Mythology (expect alot of mythological references!), Poetry, and some of my own works of poetry that I would like to share. However, it is fiction that most intrigues me - fantasy. Now, for those in the writing community, we all know that fiction is sometimes prejudiced against in the intellectual community. We aren't really encouraged to write fiction in school, and some might wonder: well, if it's a made up world or made up characters, what value does it hold in reality? What can this teach me? I state now that any work created with an open mind whether it be fiction or factual, if it is done with the purpose to bring benevolence to all mankind, or even just to explore one's inner self, that work has value. Since human beings started writing it has always been a sacred act. When authors started to shape their own words, their own stories, those too retained great power. Humanity. Fiction writing, still retains that crucial aspect of humanity, explores it, manifests it. Sometimes the most fantastical of plots offer the most human struggles, the deepest lessons.

J.R.R. Tolkien, Jim Butcher, William Shakespeare, Salman Rushdie, I love all of their stories and language. The action and adventure of Tolkien and Butcher would make anyone jump out of their seat bellowing a thunderous "HELL YES!", but there's more to their stories. All of these writers bring forth a unique piece of artwork but within them all lies that crucial human need for heroes, the plot demonstrating struggle and success, human nature both good and bad. The power of fiction is that while an individual can create an entirely new and imaginary world, there still echos humanity. There remain lessons to be learned and heroes readers can identify with, even aspire to emulate. Storytelling is not only how I explore various themes and ideals, it's how I express myself. We all have stories to tell; we all have to find our own red road.

So here it is, my portal to the world, but to you, my friends and readers, I also invite your feedback and discussion. I welcome exploration and hope for your enjoyment of my work. My name is Eric Campos, welcome to Shield Hall.