Crossbones

This past week I watched the 2014 television series "Crossbones", dedicated to the pirate Blackbeard starring John Malkovich as Blackbeard . The series was exhilarating and thoroughly enjoyable. John Malkovich was brilliant as were the other actors, like Richard Coyle as Tom Lowe, Claire Foy as Kate, and Yasmine Elmasri as Blackbeard's second wife, Selima El Sharad, David Hoflin as Blackbeard's second in command, Charlie Rider, Chris Perfetti as Tom Lowe's faithful assistant,Tim Fletch,and Tracy Ifeachor as Nenna Ajanlekoko, Charlie Rider's comrade at arms.The series is set in the 1700's, the golden age of piracy, on the island of New Providence, in the Bahamas, the stronghold of Blackbeard, pirate captain Edward Teach. It is an excellent period drama, and it rekindled in me my childhood passion for pirates and pirate lore. The first book I ever bought was at age 10, when I emptied my entire piggy bank to purchase a book on pirates. I read that book until the pages looked like fragile furled up autumn leaves. Watching the series on Blackbeard and his pirates on their stronghold island made me understand for the first time how much I can relate to their fierce determination for freedom. When I broke free from the dysfunction of my family and its miserable web of lies and deceit and contempt, I became an outlaw, and sought refuge on the island of my dignity. That freedom is precious to me, even though, just like a pirate's, it came at a hefty price. In my case, the price was solitude. I walked away to safe guard my freedom and my dignity, and I have had to defend them both fiercely. I never realized until just now why that series spoke so deeply to me, and perhaps as a child I intuitively was drawn to pirates, because maybe I felt in my heart I was going to need their fierceness of spirit. I certainly have.Standing up to my mother and a very arrogant cousin woke up the fierce heart in me, and served me well. I remember going through my pirate book as a child, over and over again, becoming enamoured with the pirate's dominion of the open seas, their camaraderie, their skill and fierceness as fighters and shipmates. It enthralled me as a child and thrills me still. I also liked their intelligence, resourcefulness and maddeningly clever ability to outsmart the pursuits of clever military men and powers. In the series "Crossbones", that military might is very well portrayed in the character of William Jagger, the British Commander, obsessed with tracking down and killing Blackbeard and played superbly by Julian Sands. Tom Lowe, the British spy who initially sets out to infiltrate Blackbeard's crew, and falls in love with Kate, a refugee from justice under the protection of Blackbeard, embodies the heart that decides that dignity and freedom are more important than blind obedience to the powers that be. My heart can so completely relate to that important realization, and relate also very much to the struggles and courage it requires to obtain that dignity and freedom. At heart I am a gypsy, a wanderer, and I am a pirate, like Tom Lowe and like his love interest Kate. Fierceness of heart and spirit in the name of freedom, justice and dignity are virtues to me that I have gladly sacrificed for, and I enjoy my pirate island in all its stark solitude with relish and pride, for it is a garden of Eden as much as their Caribbean island ever was to Blackbeard and his crew. Incomprehensible and perhaps intimidating to the outside world, but home and fortress and sanctuary to me and mine. And I will look you in the eye.