Does it really matter what day of the week it is. Especially when you live in a padded room. OK so it isn’t really padded. But there isn’t much - I daren’t pick at the foam mattress or they may not let me have another one. They can poke and prod, repeat the same questions forty times. But I’m not saying anything, nothing at all. I scream in my dreams - that’s enough.
Mama told me if I was a good girl I’d get food, clothes and something to eat. If I didn’t want to cause trouble I’d best keep my mouth shut. No one likes a tattle tale. That was one of the reasons she told me that she wasn’t going to tell me where she was going. She said it was better that way. She said she should have given me up when I was born.
Sometimes they let me wash out bed pans of the older folk here. I don’t mind visiting them. I comb their hair, smile nice. And let them gabber. They can think I’m their granddaughter. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to be on the outside. I saw what it did to my mother. And those nice folks who I stayed with a while back. They just worked too hard. They seemed to like it though.
I have no ambitions. I can read when they let me have a book. I can listen to the TV in the common room. Don’t want no boy or man to know me. Don’t want to have to give up babies. I know I wasn’t the first one my mother gave up. Might not be the last if she is still alive. I only know I’ll never see her again. Don’t need no mirrors, don’t want to look myself in the eye.
Holiday weeks really screw up our schedule here. Guess I’ll have to wait until the New Year to know what the damn day is. Then the food will tell me what day it is, for example Monday we get jello for dessert for our evening meal. I got me this book to write in. I write real small in my own language. With my own symbols. And I don’t bother writing the date down. Every once in awhile ‘they’ borrow it to try and figure out if I’m making any sense or progress. I hope they don’t figure it out until I’m eighty.
Only other thing I can figure I’d be good for is if I lived in a convent. But I don’t have any faith so I guess it’s better that I’m here. Who should I sign myself as today? The name my mama gave me or the one that echoes like a soft horse whinny? Philly...
Claudette, Should I post 'The piece' or a link to the piece? I'm not always sure who the 'reply' comment is going to if there is more than one story submitted.
The 411 information page is non-existent.
I do pop back now and again to see if there is a 'readership' since I don't follow post comments as one then gets everything (not just what might be related to their own piece) that just gets to messy in one's inbox.
RJ Clarken's first YA novel PENNY WISHES was published by Lilley Press in 2009. She is also the author of a quirky, offbeat collection of humorous poetry, MUGGING FOR THE CAMERA. She lives in NJ with her husband, son and daughter (twins!) and her crazy Cairn terrier.
Soul of a poet and writer stuck with the body and mind of a soccer player. That is Rob Halpin. On occasion, something worth reading finds its way out. To see if you agree, you can check out his blogs:
Michael Grove will offer his slant on Wednesdays. Michael is an ambidextrous Piscean. His poetry and work in finance keeps him shifting from right to left brain. He has logged many miles. Mike wishes he would have been a major league baseball player or at least an umpire.
Walt Wojtanik -- Thursday
Walt Wojtanik's poetry collection WOOD was released in 2011. His second collection, I AM SANTA CLAUS will be released later in 2012. He has written and staged three plays, and is a musician. Walt lives in NY, is married with two daughters.
Hannah Gosselin is a free spirit and beautiful soul blessed with a poet's heart and photographer's eye. She is perpetually inspired by love shared with her husband and their two young sons and is awestruck by beauty in nature. She enjoys indulging in heart-work: writing, dance and visual arts. Hannah was awarded a diploma by the Institute of Children’s Literature located in West Redding, Connecticut, for the successful completion of the course: “Writing for Children and Teenagers,” on April, 19th, 2010.
HANNAH'S BLOG
Open Mic -- Saturday
Open MicSaturday is basically a day looking for a leader. You may get a prompt from any of our contributors. If our readers / writers have any ideas they'd wish to share, this would be the place.
De and Laurie -- Sunday Sisters
De Miller Jackson is half of our Sunday team we call "Sunday Sisters". She wanted to be a Poet-Pirate-Princess when she grew up, but is (mostly) happily settling into the role of Mom/Freelance Writer. (Some days that slash cuts deeper than others.) She writes advertising copy, runs gleefully with scissors, plays well with poems…and has also penned a couple of children’s books that need a little magic fairy dust to find illustrator and publisher. You can read her stuff at whimsygizmo.wordpress.com.
Laurie Kolp is the other half of our Sunday tandem. She is a mother of six (including husband and two dogs)and maintains three blogs with numerous publications to her credit which includes most recently Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Tough Times, The Dead Mule’s School Society of Southern Literature, Christmas Miracles, The Christian Communicator, Skive Magazine. Her poem Infatuation will be published in an upcoming issue of Writer’s Digest Magazine.
Absent
ReplyDeleteDoes it really matter what day of the week it is. Especially when you live in a padded room.
OK so it isn’t really padded. But there isn’t much - I daren’t pick at the foam mattress or they may not let me have another one. They can poke and prod, repeat the same questions forty times. But I’m not saying anything, nothing at all. I scream in my dreams - that’s enough.
Mama told me if I was a good girl I’d get food, clothes and something to eat. If I didn’t want to cause trouble I’d best keep my mouth shut. No one likes a tattle tale. That was one of the reasons she told me that she wasn’t going to tell me where she was going. She said it was better that way. She said she should have given me up when I was born.
Sometimes they let me wash out bed pans of the older folk here. I don’t mind visiting them. I comb their hair, smile nice. And let them gabber. They can think I’m their granddaughter. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to be on the outside. I saw what it did to my mother. And those nice folks who I stayed with a while back. They just worked too hard. They seemed to like it though.
I have no ambitions. I can read when they let me have a book. I can listen to the TV in the common room. Don’t want no boy or man to know me. Don’t want to have to give up babies. I know I wasn’t the first one my mother gave up. Might not be the last if she is still alive. I only know I’ll never see her again. Don’t need no mirrors, don’t want to look myself in the eye.
Holiday weeks really screw up our schedule here. Guess I’ll have to wait until the New Year to know what the damn day is. Then the food will tell me what day it is, for example Monday we get jello for dessert for our evening meal. I got me this book to write in. I write real small in my own language. With my own symbols. And I don’t bother writing the date down. Every once in awhile ‘they’ borrow it to try and figure out if I’m making any sense or progress. I hope they don’t figure it out until I’m eighty.
Only other thing I can figure I’d be good for is if I lived in a convent. But I don’t have any faith so I guess it’s better that I’m here. Who should I sign myself as today? The name my mama gave me or the one that echoes like a soft horse whinny? Philly...
© JP/davh
(For me it is actually Thursday...didn’t see this yesterday.)
Could be a continuation of Wanting written for Flashy Fiction: All I want for Christmas; Tues Dec 25th, 2012.
Oh, goodo! This is going to be a good one. Glad you've come by and begun writing here.
ReplyDeleteClaudette,
DeleteShould I post 'The piece' or a link to the piece?
I'm not always sure who the 'reply' comment is going to if there is more than one story submitted.
The 411 information page is non-existent.
I do pop back now and again to see if there is a 'readership' since I don't follow post comments as one then gets everything (not just what might be related to their own piece) that just gets to messy in one's inbox.