Kendall Defoe
Bio
Teacher, reader, writer, dreamer... I am a college instructor who cannot stop letting his thoughts end up on the page.
And I did this: Buy Me A Coffee... And I did this:
Stories (531/0)
Compassion: A Theory
Do you remember when you were a student and had to write an exam in a classroom or, possibly, a gymnasium? Do you remember the stress you felt trying to remember the material that you had studied over the semester, or the material that you crammed into your head a few days or the night before sitting in front of that test? Do you remember watching your teacher walking up and down between the desks and tables, checking to see if anyone had any questions, concerns…or hidden notes and answers in their palms or up their sleeves? Do you remember anyone getting caught and having their paper taken away and the opportunity to pass erased? I do; I remember all of this. And, for a few semesters when I worked as an invigilator during university exams, I saw it all from the other side.
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Confessions
Get Up and Try Again
Note: this is based on an incident with my own father, a man who went out of his way to tell me that I was worthless and would never amount to anything, and who made it difficult for me to trust anyone. I was taught to ride a bike in one of the most uncomfortable manners possible:
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Fiction
Linear
It was a joke to take math, but he was not laughing. In high school, he had had some success with the work in his classes, textbooks and assignments. He was confident then; now, it seemed as though the material professors put on their black or white boards was some sort of secret code he could not break. He was not laughing.
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Fiction
What Makes Life Worth Living?
A confession before I begin: I am a fan of Woody Allen’s “Manhattan”. Yes, I know that Mr. Allen is probably not the most acceptable figure in the American film industry now - and maybe I should have second thoughts about including here as an influence on this piece - but you cannot ignore that body of work or the influence he has had on other comic talents. I first saw the film as a kid of the '80s and I really felt that it spoke to me as I got older, had relationships that did not always work out, and finally saw Manhattan (only five years after the film’s release).
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Confessions
What ends up in my junk box...
Okay, I was going to begin this one with a lengthy preamble, but I think I should begin with a long direct quote: Claim of donation fund God Affair donation Good day to you my beloved in the Lord, How is everything going with you and your family? This message might come to you as a surprise, However, It all just my urgent needs for a partner, That made me contact you for this urgent transaction for the Work of God Almighty, My name is Brenda Jeffrey from United States of America, I'm a widow suffering from Breast Cancer and Stroke, which denied me a child as a result, I may not last till next two months according to my doctor report, I'm married to late Pastor William Jeffrey, and we were married for many years without any child before his death, I'm 72 years old woman and I have some funds which I inherited from my late husband the sum of (10.5 Million dollars) which I needed a very honest and God fearing person who will claim the funds from the Bank and use the funds for work of God Affair donation in the house of God Almighty, like propagating the good news of God and to endeavor God worshiping place and help less-privileged I found your profile and I decided to contact you for the donation work of God Affair, Please if you know that you cannot afford to carry out this project by all means in the name of our Lord God as a believer in Christ Jesus please do not respond back to this email, According to my doctor report, I don't need any telephone communication in this regards because of my health condition, The reason why taking this bold decision is because my husband's relatives are not Christians and I don't want my family hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers, I don't want a situation where this Fund will be used in an ungodly manner, I am not afraid of death hence I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord Almighty, Exodus! 14 VS 14 says that the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace, I will like you to understand that my contact with you is a divine direction from God Almighty after all my fasting and prayers. God opened my eyes to the book of Ecclesiastes 6,verses 1 & 2.Read this scripture and you will understand that there are many people in this world that God gave the grace to acquire wealth yet God did not give them the grace to enjoy the wealth, I happened to fall into the same category now it is the wish of God When God revealed to me to use my wealth to do his work, I understood that God was testing me like He tested Abraham and other men of God, Abraham needed a child and God asked him to use his only son Isaac for sacrifice, Abraham was faithful and obeyed the Lord Jesus Christ And God made him the father of many nations. Please if you will use this fund as I stated in this letter then direct your reply immediately, Get back to me if you are interested so that I will lead you to Ally Bank Limited International in Utah where this fund was deposited by my late husband Pastor William Jeffrey, for you to retrieve the funds in your name as the next of kin for work of God Affair. I will stop here until I hear from you soonest, Please kindly contact me back. Always pray for my health, May God bless you In Jesus name amen Brenda Jeffrey
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Confessions
You Can Dance, Or...
Oh, Halloween. You never let me down. I have very fond memories of All Hallow’s Eve. We were always out and about with our costumes, pillow cases and garbage bags, with a spring in our step and dark thoughts in our hearts. Even as a child, I thought of Halloween as not a time for candy and costumes, but a time to reflect on the darkness out there and in us. I had begun watching horror films as a child and never stopped, not even when teachers and counselors warned us about the dangers of too much exposure to those fantasies on celluloid.
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Beat
Fall is a Verb
This is just where my head is at with October here and another autumn upon us. I wish that I could get more responses on my work and hear what people actually have to say about my writing. Poetry is something that is much harder for me to write as the years pass because I feel that I have to read the work of the best before I even try to create. Also, I write poetry in rough on paper (never directly to the computer screen). A longer process, but one that feels right
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Poets
A Small Victory
I still wonder how anyone gets through their adolescence. I had heard statistics as a young man about the suicide rate among us, and also knew about all the dangers out there that would eventually claim many in my circle of friendships and family (death, jail, drugs, disappearance, etc.)
By Kendall Defoe 3 years ago in Confessions