Log Slide 2002
a sand hill. not a dune but a hill. a mountain. topped
with trees. mocking. a lookout, planks of wood for
those less adventurous. we, I, was not part of that
group. follow the trail of ancient logs before us
thirty-five degree incline. I slide down sinking
sand to my knees, left my shoes at the top.
the view was… glorious getting closer
to the water, changes from emerald
to turquoise to crystal clear
I could see straight
to the bottom, my
feet, three feet
under, wiggly
on rocks. grin
the 11 am air
a cool breeze
blazing sun.
this is life.
messages
written
in the sand
I love kate
written
in rocks
long before
we arrived.
we left it
undisturbed.
I hope kate
is still loved.
then we, I,
began the climb upwards
a fight against sand sweat and
gravity. biting flies and long sleeves
devastatingly slow progress, climbing
slipping, hands and knees, no hand holds
just me and the sand. an hour later I emerge
at the top of that sand hill, making it back to flat
land, three hundred feet above lake level. an hour of
toiling. sweat and tears. toil is the only appropriate word.
I conquered that mountain.
©2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Coin the Catchphrase!
(JILL enters she has a numbered sign pinned to her shirt, reading 1148. She carries a piece of posterboard with her. The stage should be empty, but brightly lit, like an awards or game show.)
My catchphrase is ‘blank makes my ovaries clap!’
(Turns sign around)
Now, in theory it’s only for women to say, seeing as men don’t have ovaries, but I’m pretty sure there are some guys out there that would use it too! For example, say some guy is getting ready to go out and hes looking in the mirror,
(deep ‘man’ voice)
Aw yeah, this shirt is going to make all those ovaries clap. Or, man, this car will make ovaries clap!
(Regular voice)
But, really it’s most attractive point is that you can use it for so many things! It’s very versatile, which all Coined Catchphrases from the show have been. Anything that you find incredibly attractive can make your ovaries clap. All you do is fill in the blank. If I may use last year’s Catchphrase winner, “Toyota Priuses are so HOT.” Now you could just as easily say, “Toyota Priuses make my ovaries clap!”
Now, my friends and I usually use the phrase to talk about guys. Such as,“Jake Gyllenhaal makes my ovaries clap.” Or “Coffee Guy makes my ovaries clap.”
Okay, so there is this incredibly attractive man that frequents the coffee shop I work at, and my ovaries don’t just clap for him. They jump up and down in a standing ovation celebration!
There are definitely degrees of your ovaries celebrating.
When I meet up with my roommate and her annoying yet oddly hot boyfriend for dinner or something, my ovaries have a polite clap session, because the guy is definitely easy on the eyes, youknowwhatimsayin?
Now, with Coffee Guy, my ovaries jump up and down and say, YAY REPRODUCTION! They have a little hormonal dance party in my abdomen.
Oh! One of my favorites is the reaction to attractive-fun guys. The best example is Jim from the Office (The American version). He’s got cute floppy hair and you just want to hug him all the time and join in on his pranks. They do cartwheels! I’m pretty sure they are saying ‘whee!’ in the process.
There is also the ovarian reaction to hot band guys. My ovaries just don’t clap for them either. They bounce around, scream and have their own little mosh pit.
Hm? Oh, I’m almost out of time? Okay. To close, I think ‘blank makes my ovaries clap’ should be the next Coined Catchphrase because it can apply to anything you find attractive, both men and women can use it and its very versatile. It also has varying degrees of applause, and its really just fun to say. Thank you for your time!
©2007
JILL
Hello Ladies, Gentlemen and Judges! My name is Jill March and I am contestant number 1148. I am 22 and a recent Smith College graduate. I’d also like to say that I’m a huge fan of Coin the Catchphrase and feel very honored to have gotten to Round 3. My catchphrase is ‘blank makes my ovaries clap!’
(Turns sign around)
Now, in theory it’s only for women to say, seeing as men don’t have ovaries, but I’m pretty sure there are some guys out there that would use it too! For example, say some guy is getting ready to go out and hes looking in the mirror,
(deep ‘man’ voice)
Aw yeah, this shirt is going to make all those ovaries clap. Or, man, this car will make ovaries clap!
(Regular voice)
But, really it’s most attractive point is that you can use it for so many things! It’s very versatile, which all Coined Catchphrases from the show have been. Anything that you find incredibly attractive can make your ovaries clap. All you do is fill in the blank. If I may use last year’s Catchphrase winner, “Toyota Priuses are so HOT.” Now you could just as easily say, “Toyota Priuses make my ovaries clap!”
Now, my friends and I usually use the phrase to talk about guys. Such as,“Jake Gyllenhaal makes my ovaries clap.” Or “Coffee Guy makes my ovaries clap.”
Okay, so there is this incredibly attractive man that frequents the coffee shop I work at, and my ovaries don’t just clap for him. They jump up and down in a standing ovation celebration!
There are definitely degrees of your ovaries celebrating.
When I meet up with my roommate and her annoying yet oddly hot boyfriend for dinner or something, my ovaries have a polite clap session, because the guy is definitely easy on the eyes, youknowwhatimsayin?
Now, with Coffee Guy, my ovaries jump up and down and say, YAY REPRODUCTION! They have a little hormonal dance party in my abdomen.
Oh! One of my favorites is the reaction to attractive-fun guys. The best example is Jim from the Office (The American version). He’s got cute floppy hair and you just want to hug him all the time and join in on his pranks. They do cartwheels! I’m pretty sure they are saying ‘whee!’ in the process.
There is also the ovarian reaction to hot band guys. My ovaries just don’t clap for them either. They bounce around, scream and have their own little mosh pit.
Hm? Oh, I’m almost out of time? Okay. To close, I think ‘blank makes my ovaries clap’ should be the next Coined Catchphrase because it can apply to anything you find attractive, both men and women can use it and its very versatile. It also has varying degrees of applause, and its really just fun to say. Thank you for your time!
©2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
in memory monologue
this is the second piece inspired by the crash... i think it may end up as part of a larger... thing?
prompt: write a 1-2 page internal monologue
In Memory: Katherine Merkel, Tiffany Urso, Jessica Nutoni and Matthew Frank
(Lights up on a bed, center stage. The bed has a lot of blankets, sheets and pillows, so much so that MAE isn’t noticeable until she rolls over. She keeps shifting, and eventually rolls onto her back, puts her hands behind her head. She is wearing baggy pajama pants and a camisole, no socks. The room should be lit like it is night)
It could have been me. That could have been me. A road I drive down practically every day.
(She sits up and faces the audience.)
That could have been me.
(Pause, she hangs her head)
I walked down the same hallways, had the same boring English classes, ate in the same cafeteria. I didn’t really know them or anything… But why them? Why not me? What makes me lucky? Special? It could just as easily been me.
(She pauses again, looking towards downstage right)
Just the one stupid mistake. Just one. And one little patch of ice. I saw it happen. We were right behind them, pure chance I guess. Just riding along with Ty, and we saw them swerving a little. And then crash, bang. Pole. And that was it. The metal… all that twisted metal. We could see them in the car. We tried to get them out, but just couldn’t.
(She pauses and stares off for a moment)
Red and white. All that red on white. Smashed lights, twisted metal…I tried, we both tried.
(She sighs again)
It just doesn’t seem real. It didn’t happen right? It was just some nightmare I’m stuck in? Because I can’t fathom it otherwise. In a split second, how could we lose four kids? How? Could I have done more? Did it hurt? Or was it painless? And why did everyone else make it? How did she make it? Why didn’t it happen to anyone else? Why did it happen at all?
(She starts to get worked up, and begins pacing, slowly then quicker)
Am I really supposed to believe this is part of some big plan? All of this pain and confusion happens for a reason? What am I supposed to do? Pray? Offer a sacrifice of some sort? Declare somehow, that I am happy to be alive? Eh? What?
(She stops, sits on bed and slumps a bit)
Because all I seem to be able to do is cry.
(She begins to cry. It should be quiet and understated, her voice strains)
That twisted mess of a car could have been any of us. That could have been me.
(She lies on the bed, curls into a ball and pulls the cover over herself. Her crying can be heard as the lights slowly fade to black)
*this one is still a draft... i want to flesh it out a bit still.
prompt: write a 1-2 page internal monologue
In Memory: Katherine Merkel, Tiffany Urso, Jessica Nutoni and Matthew Frank
(Lights up on a bed, center stage. The bed has a lot of blankets, sheets and pillows, so much so that MAE isn’t noticeable until she rolls over. She keeps shifting, and eventually rolls onto her back, puts her hands behind her head. She is wearing baggy pajama pants and a camisole, no socks. The room should be lit like it is night)
MAE
(She sighs)It could have been me. That could have been me. A road I drive down practically every day.
(She sits up and faces the audience.)
That could have been me.
(Pause, she hangs her head)
I walked down the same hallways, had the same boring English classes, ate in the same cafeteria. I didn’t really know them or anything… But why them? Why not me? What makes me lucky? Special? It could just as easily been me.
(She pauses again, looking towards downstage right)
Just the one stupid mistake. Just one. And one little patch of ice. I saw it happen. We were right behind them, pure chance I guess. Just riding along with Ty, and we saw them swerving a little. And then crash, bang. Pole. And that was it. The metal… all that twisted metal. We could see them in the car. We tried to get them out, but just couldn’t.
(She pauses and stares off for a moment)
Red and white. All that red on white. Smashed lights, twisted metal…I tried, we both tried.
(She sighs again)
It just doesn’t seem real. It didn’t happen right? It was just some nightmare I’m stuck in? Because I can’t fathom it otherwise. In a split second, how could we lose four kids? How? Could I have done more? Did it hurt? Or was it painless? And why did everyone else make it? How did she make it? Why didn’t it happen to anyone else? Why did it happen at all?
(She starts to get worked up, and begins pacing, slowly then quicker)
Am I really supposed to believe this is part of some big plan? All of this pain and confusion happens for a reason? What am I supposed to do? Pray? Offer a sacrifice of some sort? Declare somehow, that I am happy to be alive? Eh? What?
(She stops, sits on bed and slumps a bit)
Because all I seem to be able to do is cry.
(She begins to cry. It should be quiet and understated, her voice strains)
That twisted mess of a car could have been any of us. That could have been me.
(She lies on the bed, curls into a ball and pulls the cover over herself. Her crying can be heard as the lights slowly fade to black)
*this one is still a draft... i want to flesh it out a bit still.
i dont need this (draft)
alright, this is response #2 for my creative reading class. response #1 should never see the light of day. this is another poem. i'm not good at poetry.
prompt: "translate" D.F. Brown's poem (When I am 19 I Was a Medic) into your own experience-- write about something powerful that happened to you in the present tense. try to make the reader understand how you feel about it now, how it's changed you.
*i've made changes, suggested by my prof. he was right)
I don’t need this (second draft)
We’re facing off for the first time, the only time.
Screaming, crying, angry glares.
You say we ganged up
That this is really my fault.
Blaming me only makes it worse.
Let’s bring up painful, ridiculous memories
Nothing will help this
Nothing will fix this.
I’d call this a break up.
It ends with you leaving
And I feel better but not for long.
This haunts me already
You haven’t really left.
You’ll hold on much longer
Than I ever will.
©2007
prompt: "translate" D.F. Brown's poem (When I am 19 I Was a Medic) into your own experience-- write about something powerful that happened to you in the present tense. try to make the reader understand how you feel about it now, how it's changed you.
*i've made changes, suggested by my prof. he was right)
I don’t need this (second draft)
We’re facing off for the first time, the only time.
Screaming, crying, angry glares.
You say we ganged up
That this is really my fault.
Blaming me only makes it worse.
Let’s bring up painful, ridiculous memories
Nothing will help this
Nothing will fix this.
I’d call this a break up.
It ends with you leaving
And I feel better but not for long.
This haunts me already
You haven’t really left.
You’ll hold on much longer
Than I ever will.
©2007
in memory
so i have written two things in my response to the horrible car crash last weekend. this is the first, a poem (sorry about that, its the assignment).
This is the prompt: Do a two page free write on any give topic. Choose a topic that is familiar enough to allow you to draw from media headlines, current topics or every day issues that you will likely encounter. From your two page free write, extract the most authentic language and details. Write a poem of no longer than one hundred words.
i skipped the free write. meh.
In Memory: Katherine, Tiffany, Jessica and Matthew
1 party
1 drunken adult
8 kids
1 car
1 ride home
1 wrong move
1 utility pole
1 smashed car
6 firefighters
4 police officers
4 kids dead
4 kids hurt
1 adult going to jail
2 tv stations broadcasting our tragedy
1 community
1 high school
8 parents mourning
4 crosses
4 memorial services
4 funerals
4 churches
4 kids recovering
12 charges filed
1 Five Million Dollar Bond
1 snow covered memorial
1 week gone by
2 tv stations still interested
1 tragic night that so many of us will not forget
(© 2.17.07)
This is the prompt: Do a two page free write on any give topic. Choose a topic that is familiar enough to allow you to draw from media headlines, current topics or every day issues that you will likely encounter. From your two page free write, extract the most authentic language and details. Write a poem of no longer than one hundred words.
i skipped the free write. meh.
In Memory: Katherine, Tiffany, Jessica and Matthew
1 party
1 drunken adult
8 kids
1 car
1 ride home
1 wrong move
1 utility pole
1 smashed car
6 firefighters
4 police officers
4 kids dead
4 kids hurt
1 adult going to jail
2 tv stations broadcasting our tragedy
1 community
1 high school
8 parents mourning
4 crosses
4 memorial services
4 funerals
4 churches
4 kids recovering
12 charges filed
1 Five Million Dollar Bond
1 snow covered memorial
1 week gone by
2 tv stations still interested
1 tragic night that so many of us will not forget
(© 2.17.07)
yay for specialized blogs!
and i start yet ANOTHER blog!
okay, i have justification for this one. its for my writing. mostly i crave feedback. will i get it here? dunno. but at least i have a place that i can tell people to go if they want to read my stuff.
so i have four creative writing classes this semester (ponder this for a second... for three of those classes, i have at least one 'creative' response to write every week. there are 15 class sessions. by my calculations that is 45 pieces of work i am producing in this semester alone. more than i have produced since my idea to become a writer). i need a place to put these. and of course, the internet is the obvious solution.
so... enjoy? feedback is appreciated. especially constructive criticism. seriously, if something sucks please tell me. i don't want to be cliche or dumb. thanks!
okay, i have justification for this one. its for my writing. mostly i crave feedback. will i get it here? dunno. but at least i have a place that i can tell people to go if they want to read my stuff.
so i have four creative writing classes this semester (ponder this for a second... for three of those classes, i have at least one 'creative' response to write every week. there are 15 class sessions. by my calculations that is 45 pieces of work i am producing in this semester alone. more than i have produced since my idea to become a writer). i need a place to put these. and of course, the internet is the obvious solution.
so... enjoy? feedback is appreciated. especially constructive criticism. seriously, if something sucks please tell me. i don't want to be cliche or dumb. thanks!
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