Sunday, March 14, 2010

An Evening with the Dementias

This is something I wrote back in November. Most of you will read this and think "say what?" I've posted it here primarily for myself and those few who DO get it. A clue: the Dementias are my SPP characters and I was in a job that was slowly killing me.

So last night I called a meeting of all of the Dementias. I had something important to discuss and in these situations it's always best to turn to one's family to get all sides before making a decision. As always, Capt. Morgan Dementia walked straight to the bar and poured us all a drink. Then everyone gathered around... well, except for Lily Rose. She sat in the corner, sharpening her knives. There are times that the decided gleam in her eyes truly distresses me. *shudder* At any rate, once everyone was settled, I took a deep breath and said "Here's the thing... it's about this job. When I went into it, I was told that I'd have 2-3 days a week. They're only giving me one... a HARD one day, but one nevertheless. They write the schedule on Fridays, so I can't plan a weekend or anything else for that matter. There are some of my friends that I can only see on the weekends. And lastly, well... my body isn't holding up so well, particularly my left knee." At which point Lily Rose looked up and offered to remove the offending limb. I thanked her delicately (one must be very politic when dealing with Lily Rose) and declined her gracious offer. I went on to say "Plus there's this whole thing of the twit that insists on glaring at me continually and the lazy gits that manage to look busy without doing a damn thing". Auntie Gracie Marie Laveau declared she would turn them all into zombies... another offer I politely refused. Suddenly, Morticia snorted and gave me that look. You know the one. She spoke in her freezing voice, "And here I thought you were supposed to be some sort of genius! Are you OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND? Why are you still going to that job? It embarrasses me to even CALL it a job, you work so little. And for WHAT, might I ask? Do you honestly believe that little bit of money makes any difference? Then you're too tired to play with US. We should bar you from the family for this little tryst." She snorted again for effect, I believe. Everyone sat in stunned silence for several moments. Suddenly, the Boyz were intent on their spy games and head shrinking and such. Then I started crying and everyone gathered around hugging me, telling me they loved me, and we all settled in for a night of old horror movies. Well... I am now no longer employed. I mean, would YOU argue with the Dementias?

English... The language we never think about!

I have been taught that English is the most difficult language to learn. As Americans who speak English, we rarely think about that. For a couple of years, I was a sign language interpreter in ASL and I HAD to think about it.

ASL is a language based on the concept or intent of what we are trying to express. For example: "I like you" is signed as "you me like". "You are like no other" becomes "you other person same not". Two different signs are used for, what in English is, the same word. So let's look at some other words that can be confusing...

Are and our: You are nice. are= to be verb. ASL doesn't use the "be" verbs, so it's simply "you nice" This is our home. our=possessive. "House this (or that) ours" They're, there, and their: they're is the conjunction of "they are", again the "to be" verb. "They're funny = "they funny". There=location. "My house is over there" = "house my there". Their = possessive. "This is their dog" = "dog (point at it) theirs" You're and your: again, you're is the conjunction of "you are", so I won't be repetitive! LOL and "your" is possessive. Light and light??? Whoa! Light colors (not dark), daylight, turn on the light, this is light and not heavy, lighten up???

Now, think about all of the words we have that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have completely different meanings. OMG! Talk about something that confuses people! LOL Read and red? Lie and lye??? Seen and scene??? I could go on and on, but my head is already reeling from the impact.

English is an incredible language. I love it. There seems to be a perfect word for just about anything a person can imagine if we just look hard enough. I'm not talking about those 20 syllable words, either. Just a simple word like "cherish"... Isn't that a beautiful word? It's beyond like, beyond love. It contains respect and a sense of forever. Cherish. Wow...

I could go on and on, but I won't bore you with my ramblings. Just take a moment and THINK about what you're saying. Think about what you MEAN. Could it be said better, more concisely? It's a thing to consider while our world is becoming ever smaller thanks to the internet.

Let's all broaden our concepts of language together!

PEACE! *grin*

Dug up some old stuff...


A new FB friend brought to mind that I used to be a fairly good poet. Won a couple of writing contests, received the Poet of Merit award, and had a couple of pieces legitimately published... all LONG ago. At any rate, I thought I'd share them here with you along with my most recent painting. Hope you enjoy them all.






Jenna at 13
You gracefully fold
into the chair,
half-smile lighting your face as you read,
Gawkiness
meets grace
in each body line.
Rounding gone,
angles show the woman to come.
Black eyes flash insolence.
I call you to chores.
Brushawaymyvoice with eraser’s
edge and draw
red dragons,
faerie queens.
Dirty dishes
sway not
in lands of mist.

Gulf of Mexico (haiku)
Grey-green cold that burns.
Cotton-tipped waves past skyline
lap at wet white sand.

Poem put together from magazine clippings
Because first impressions last a lifetime
Feeling translates into terms anyone can understand
Here’s a promise you don’t have to take with a grain of salt,
Falling in love don’t come with erasers for a simple reason.
Your kids have grown, The most luxurious part happens when it’s over.
MMMMmmmmmm
The junkman cometh!

The Wanderer
Woods so dark
I travel through
Faerie path
hidden
Cast a spell
Illuminates
to mine eyes
behold
See no end
Choose wisely
Where feet tread
my staff

The Lark & the Emporor ( a parody )
Strangle the Lark!
Place its pink tongue under glass.
I’ve heard
enough of choruses a lifetime
to last.

Choke that Green Frog!
Make a feast of muscled legs.
His song
is quite deafening to basilar
membranes.

I demand peace
at twilight times---dusk and dawn.
Kill them
all who dare to peep when the Emperor needs
to yawn.

Kids
I wish you would bathe
I say what I think
The stench tears the eyes
That’s just how goats reek
Kids buried in grime
Kids love gritty grub
Kids avoid the tub!

The Dancer
Sweat glistens as she moves
to the sway of soft strings.
Dim lights glow
on golden planks and her.
Slow movements sculpt in air---
Breath suspends.
Half-lidded eyes know the
rapture of surety.
Arms lift, she lightly turns, dancer,
sound and rhythm come together
in the quiet of the music.
The invisible audience
applauds.

Death ( a story in exactly 100 words)
She could feel the evil permeating the darkened room. Mist rose, covering the floor and filling her lungs. Terror gripped her. There was nowhere to run. No matter how she clawed at the thickly-panelled walls or yanked at the door, she couldn’t escape.
Then he was there before her in all his ungodly beauty. Red-rimmed eyes stole her will and she walked into his embrace. The man-thing smiled and moonlight glinted on pointed canine teeth. “At last, you are mine,” he whispered. She tilted her head, exposing a white throat. His teeth sank deep...and she fell forever.

Fishin’ ( a story in dialogue)
“God! Life’s great, ain’t it! Just look at dis. Da mornin’s so crisp and bright, da water’s calm. And just look’t here in ma net! Twelfth t’row today, all jus’ like dis one. Ten mullet! An’ look at da size! Can’t wait for Ti Mae ta see dis. She gonna have a fit. Course, she’ll hog all da gizzards...always does.”
“Wish she coulda come today. She’d of loved it. But dat Mae have to have a spankin’ clean house...no if’s, and’s, but’s, or maybe ‘bout it! Dese here babies won’t even make it ta da back door till day primed and ready to fry!”
“Oo-ee, but dat’ll be fine! I tell you what, dat Mae can cook! She whip me up some potatoe salad and have me some of dat French bread from Desporte’s...you know, dem loaves so soft dey bend in half when ya pick dem up. Den, dese babies, she fry dem up so crisp an’ golden, where dey crunch when ya bite ‘em, still moist inside.”
“Where’d I get dem? See that buoy raht over dere? Yea, da one to da east... Gonna try your luck? Best hurry, day’s gettin’ on quick. Me? I’m gonna hurry home. Mae’s awaitin’! God, ain’t life great!”

Good-Bye Daddy
Leaves blur as they fall to
the unforgiving ground
Except for one-----------
the tenacious grip won’t let it go.
Limned-white stones
litter the dying grass.
Here I stand,
crying, a child alone.

I Can’t Think!
Firecrackers of color
explode in my brain.
Ideas plip-plop.....Wait!
What was that?
She said what?
I can’t do it!....or can I?
If I try?
What if I did this....
Frustration, confusion,
immense desperation.
INPUT........IN
PUT.....INPUT
Thousands of ideas
incomplete.
I feel another thought.....
I can’t believe he said that.....
What point was I making?
Who did what?
How could I......
But what should I......
I forget......
HELP!!!!!!

From Childhood to Reality
We laughed
ago.
We sang
and danced.
Laughter
flees cold.
Dark comes.
Furrowed faces
line my
vision.
Times lost,
I mourn
ago.

A Road Through Desoto
Such a strange road so seldom travelled
grass sprouts and even one small maple tree finds root.
Short Cut Road they call it though it winds
hither
and
yon.
See the Buick skeleton there? Did it give up
trying to find
the end?
Dusty rust settles in autumn colors.
Nature’s paint slowly eradicates this blight
just as blooming meadows shroud humanity’s waste.
It’s quiet here, only the birds and insects
chatter in the morning air.
And, if you narrow your eyes justso,
looking away from electric wires and car,
you can see just how things
were meant to be.
Perhaps this road is the short cut to man’s housecleaning.
Perhaps simply a shortcut to its end.

Bah... None of this will save in its proper style, so we'll just imagine that the lines have indentations in odd places!
All works included were written for Creative Writing, Fall term ‘92 by RMT