Turns out the 1000 word memoir I was dreading is due NEXT thursday, and a poem is due instead. I'm not much for poetry, but I have been working on a short story that I felt was significant and interesting but just wasn't working. Once I put it into free verse form, it flowed beautifully. Tell me what you think:
I had a face at one point
We have a baby picture
With a winking eye
And cooing mouth.
Gran speaks of a freckled nose
Perfect, straight, narrow.
That is in my mind now
When eat in a public place
Or sneeze by a stranger.
Seeing with no eyes?
Sneezing with no nose?
I do it every day.
You think I can’t see you or hear you
Because I have no eyes or ears?
Think twice before pointing or mocking or crying;
Especially the crying.
It happened shortly after I was born, they say.
By three weeks, both eyes were gone.
In their place was soft, smooth skin,
Like the cheeks had achieved a hostile takeover of the face.
My mother actually saw the teeth flee.
She described the sound of them evaporating
Like a tiny, delicate pop.
After them,
Went my mouth and each nostril,
The entire nose, and the eyebrows.
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.
Then, nothing.
Flat, plain, freckled flesh
Like a speckled porcelain plate.
2 comments:
wow. it transitioned really well. you know, you're a natural.
It makes me sad. Very deep and full of meaning in different ways to different people. Brooke, I hope you use your talent for something awesome, like a book. You must be published!
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