I'm linking up for the first prompt of 2011 over at The Red Dress Club :
Write a short piece - fiction, non-fiction, poetry, whatevs - in which each sentence starts with the next letter of the alphabet, starting with "A." So your finished product will consist of 26 sentences. (I am tweaking this a bit and making mine 26 lines, so technically just over 26 sentences.)
A dream in which you finally start telling me the truth. Your truth.
Bringing friends with you on a spontaneous trip to Vegas, you appeared suddenly.
Careening your convertible up the crowded street, dirty but drivable.
"Don't come here," I plead, backing away. "I can't. Not again." Willing you away.
Ever the charmer, you hop out and grab my hand, yanking me this way and that. Your way.
"Forget it all and come with us," you said after we sat down to have drinks.
Ghosts floated all around me, warning, wafting, swirling--gentle reminders.
Hovering nearby, my friend Heather made eyes at me, but didn't utter a sound.
I had to borrow money from her to pay for our stuff since you were "saving for Vegas." Cheapskate.
Just like always, you made me doubt myself, your sincerity, your intentions.
"Kid, you know I love you. Just get in the damn car," you said as you looked over at your friends.
Lunging at you with all my frustration in my fist. I miss. I try again.
Maniacal laughter, mirrors in a fun house: everything's misshapen, distorted. Bubbles and blur.
No, no--spinning round and round, my skirt billowing out like a bell. I want off this ride.
Out of nowhere you jump up and grab me.
Pushing and pulling ensue, a tug of war over the past and future.
Questioning myself is never so prevalent as when I'm with you.
Running around doing this same old dance drains me.
Sometimes I get so tired of carrying this burden. Your burden.
Too many people telling me what to do, like you.
Until I remember that this is just a dream.
Vanquished, vindicated me. I hold power over you!
Wielding my magic wand, I wave it until you get smaller and smaller.
Xanax won't be necessary anymore, you are so tiny I tower over you.
You can't haunt or taunt me anymore.
Zen-like is how I feel when I wake.
33 comments:
Oh, boy! This is some meaty stuff. If this is a real dream, it tells you that you are working hard to unburden yourself of things that no longer serve you. And you know what? You're winning?
I loved the "skirt billowing out like a bell" line. Kinda Sylvia, that one.(Maybe I'm just linking it to Bell Jar).
Erin, your writing and words just get better and better. Allowing yourself to let go of the past and not allowing it to hold you back from your future is HUGE, bringing it to the forefront of your now and writing about it calls it out for what it is. The past. Which may have shaped who you are but has no hold on who you are becoming.
That's right friend, just shake that damn thing off. Kick it in the the teeth and the cojones.
"Xanax" is very well played, by the way.
LOVE this.
Can I borrow your magic wand sometime?
Adore your use of Xanax. I had a hard time w/ the X. That's some dream.
Bravo!
Very well done. VERY. This was the best - Too many people telling me what to do, like you.
Until I remember that this is just a dream.
Vanquished, vindicated me. I hold power over you!
Day 7 of January, and you are rocking. Love this.
Wow. I think this is the best ABC type thing I've read. Nicely done!
I love how you threw in some font changes. It made the words come alive!
Visiting from RDC
Thanks for this.
I can never remember what comes after W.
Now I know!
XANAX!!!
yeah… what everyone else said. fantastic! great use of imagery and lovely word choices. great exercise. you win… indeed!
Oh! "...skirt billowing like a bell" I love that line for some reason. I also like the font changes...it does make the story pop.
maniacal laughter...
LOVE that! this is WONDERFUL! your word choice is amazing! such imagery!
I love the contrast between weak and strong.
You did such an amazing job, Erin.
I could feel the pushing and pulling and the struggle.
Loved it!
You and your co-horts (Nancy and Ashlei), are making my morning. Such different and amazing takes on the same theme. I'm taken aback and more than a little bit jealous. SO MUCH TALENT. Fighting our demons in our sleep; do we all do that? Have you considered slam poetry? (I've been so blog MIA maybe you are already slamming and I just don't know it).
But no more Xanax?
That was some dream, and I am again in awe of the writing.
wow...that was incredible...GREAT JOB Erin.
*applause*
Whoa. Amazing.
Bravo!
Your poetry here did a great job of capturing the feeling of a dream, I loved the realization moment that it was a dream and her ablity to claim her power back. I actually thought that the font changes were quite effective in your piece as welll.
Standing ovation. Wonderfully done. I even forgot it was a dream there.
I definitely love the font changes.
""Kid, you know I love you. Just get in the damn car,""
I can hear the irritated, condescending tone... makes me want to slap ...him?
So much going on and written with such beautiful and powerful imagery. You captured that feeling of knowing someone is bad for you but finding hard not to get sucked back in.
Loved the imagery! Great font usage, too. Very fun!(checking you out from Red Dress Club!)
A powerful piece. That's some dream!
From one Erin to another....I have so been there! I hope for you, it literally was only a dream!
Excellent writing!
Great work! I love the imagery and thanks for visiting my blog.
Very nice piece. Great writing exercise.
That was awesome Erin... I love how you did that...
That was sooo fun! You done good GF!
And would you please wield your magic wand over me? I wanna get smaller and smaller.
Sounds like a great dieting solution!
Please?
hee hee
Nice job Erin! Love the Xanax-- and the Zen.
Cheers, jj
I love the "X" line. That was genius.
So powerful. To be able to write something like that within the confines of the alphabet....just incredible.
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