Prompt #71 Reflection

1/24/22

I love a line from Helen's "Between the Branches," a reflection after a day in nature: 

Does the reflection tell the truth? 

Since we all just spent a day at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary taking in nature and seeing it through the reflections in the tannin-stained water,  I thought it was a perfect time to make this question the prompt.  

Looks can certainly be deceiving; our brains don't always interpret what our eyes take in accurately. 

Think about the possibilities of this multiple meaning word.  Your response doesn't have to be about a literal reflection in the water or in the mirror. It can be about a personal reflection or one imagined through a character in a fictional piece. It can be a combination of both. 

Does the reflection always tell the truth? Whose truth? 

Till Then

 Prompt #70

My brother-in-law, Doug Rice, is in hospice as I write this.

 

You lost your mother as a teenager

leading you to drugs, theft, and jail time.

Your father remarried and far away, 

not a man given to much emotion or connection.

Your girlfriends could be friendly or remote

you seemed to alternate personalities

and then one, with the same name as your mom,

made you crazier than most...

So you married her.

But this kind of relationship can't last.

One beautiful boy child born, and

then you were on your own, once again.

The shutdown began.

Your emotions, your life.

Still with a wicked sense of humor,

and a deep love of family that never

could quite get it right.

A father's love you could not grasp.

A mother gap from long ago.

A breach in the family broke your heart.

You tried so hard to mend it,

even at cost to yourself.

But the only thing that reunited

was your failing liver and

semi-conscious state.

Our last visit was pleasant, yet difficult.

A final meal together at Dixie Crossroads

where you shared your shrimp with me.

Seeing what you were going through,

your attitude of acceptance and surrender

to the workings of the Universe gave comfort

to us, since there was nothing we could do...

The council of elders awaits you, Doug.

 

Mom and Dad Ward

Aunt Joanne

Uncle Dick

Uncle Jim

Aunt Dot

Debbie

Tommy

Mike

DR

 

and your mom.

 

Safe passage, dear brother

Til we meet again.

Once in a While

Response to prompt #70: Doo-Wop it

Lots of ideas came up for this prompt as I read down the list of Doo-Wop hits. I tried to select one that didn't necessarily sound like a love song- at least not obviously by the title. Love poems are easy go-to for me and I wanted to try something else. This might sound like it comes from someone who hates their job, and that simply isn't the case. I'm just someone who is looking forward in general, to the days I won't have to work at all... G-d willing!

Once in a While

by ljkemp

Once in a while 

a daydream, a vision of retirement

not a wish to grow older any more quickly

but longing for the day when my time is my own

Once in in a while

a moment of selfish reflection

not regret for the years in service to others

but a weariness from worrying about other people's children 

Once in a while

a notion; time is more valuable than money

and living more valuable than working

but a reality in which time doesn't pay for itself

Once in a while

an escape route of possibility

a small business, a cafe, a bookstore

but somehow even passion becomes work when it's work

Once in a while

a calculation of years and days

a realization they are wrong, I wouldn't miss it

but look back on it with pride accomplishment

Once in a while...

Take Me As I Am (Take 2)

 I don't know if it's boredom from being couch-ridden with an icky stomach bug, my newly found determination to write more (fueled by daily 2-minute writing stints and a re-commitment to this group), or the song itself, but I felt compelled to write another piece based on the Doo-Wop song, "Take Me as I Am." Most likely, the answer is "all of the above," but at this point, I'm not concerning myself as much with the motivation. The action of writing and publishing is the key here. 

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Although it left me on the outskirts of high school popularity and the "in" crowd, looking back, I realize I've always settled on the "take me as I am" philosophy. That's not to say I didn't try to fit in, didn't try to change who I am in order to be accepted, didn't pretend to like things I really didn't care for, but, in the end, I always decided to stick to my guns, my true self. 

I don't remember what on earth drove me to make the decision to run for Homecoming Queen my junior year. I was always a plain Jane, physically awkward and shackled by bad haircuts and a budget wardrobe purchased by an overly conservative mother. 

The odds were not in my favor. 

My freshman and sophomore year, I just kept my head down for the most part, stuck with my handful of friends, and tried to be invisible lest the popular people found reason to poke fun of me. I did garner the attention of one "band geek" with a rather large nose, but the boyfriend status didn't last long. 

Again, that didn't exactly help my odds. 

I also didn't do myself any favors by not being involved in anything. I wasn't athletic, artistic, or musical at all, but I could have joined yearbook or creative writing. I just didn't have the courage at the time. 

However, by junior year, I began working 25-30 hours per week at the local Ponderosa (Pondegrossout I liked to call it) and was raking in some decent dough because a few people tipped even though we were paid more than minimum wage. Although the customers weren't exactly high-rollers, a few quarters and dollar bills per table when you’re turning over tables at a rapid rate really adds up. This, along with having my license, allowed me to pay for half of a car payment, my insurance, and gas. More importantly, it allowed me to choose my own hair salon and pay for a stylist who lived in the current decade, not my aunt who also "did hair" for clients mostly 60 and over. I also could start shopping and paying for my own clothes. I leaned toward the conservative 80's styles, so my mom had nothing to worry about. 

Then, something crazy happened. Guys at work were falling all over me. Cute guys. Athletes from other schools. Older guys. I guess this gave me the courage to think I may have a shot.

So I did it. Encouraged by my small posse, I filled out the application, turned in a picture (we all know how extremely photogenic I am--wink, wink) and a bio for the display case, and crossed my fingers. 

And then I heard the snickers and the whispers:

Why would she run?

Does she actually think she has a chance?

I'm sure there were a lot worse and meaner comments I didn't get wind of, but those alone stung. 

I was the geeky girl trying to break out. 

I was the girl who didn't "put out." 

I was the girl on the outskirts.  

I was embarrassed momentarily, but I didn't let that change who I was. 

I started working even more hours my senior year, hyper-focused on just getting my diploma and kissing Dunedin High School and all of its inhabitants (minus one person I'm still friends with) goodbye. This was not my time. This was not my place. 

My best was yet to come. 
 

Take Me As I Am

Take Me As I Am: Response to Prompt #70: Doo-Wop

This prompt was eye-opening, although I should have clued into the fact that the era of Doo Wop would produce a lot of songs by male groups pinning away for the love of a girl, even many female groups hoping and praying for the love of a man. And while there's nothing inherently wrong with that, I was looking for something with a little more teeth. Then, I came across a song sung by the Chantels, "Take Me As I Am." I had a hard time finding lyrics, then discovered it was written by Eddie Jones and recorded by the Demens. While it was fun to listen to both, there is something nitty gritty about the Chantels version that really resonated with me. I think perhaps it's a braver message coming from a woman--then and unfortunately even now.  See what it inspired below. 

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Dear Girl,

Never change yourself to fit into someone else's mold; you weren't born to conform, to be limited to one form for too long.  

Don't you dare fold yourself up into a neat little package for others; you are a gift to the world just the way you are. 

There will be plenty of people trying to change you, plenty of forces at work against you; hoist your shield of individuality. 

Your strength and power lie in your uniqueness, your willingness to stand alone even when you're tempted to join the masses. 

Shout it out, loud and clear--take me as I am--because the way you are is perfect. 

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Listen to Take Me As I Am by the Chantels here . And for fun, here's a version by the Demens.

Prompt #70 Doo-Wop It

This Christmas my sister gave me the vinyl recording of Paul Simon's final album In the Blue Light. This album re-imagines several of his songs, most of them I'm not too familiar with. He jazzed them up, or added blues touches, improved lyrics. It is a real lesson in refining your work as you age.

One of the songs is called "Darling Lorraine," and it isn't one I know. While listening to it, I recalled I had once read his explanation of how the song was written. He had an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and I had not been able to get to the exhibit, so I bought the exhibition guide to enjoy it anyway.

In the guide, Paul said "Darling Lorraine" is one of his favorites songs. He said it began with the words "The first time I saw her, I couldn't be sure."  He had no idea what the song was about.  He thought of the Doo-Wop song called "Darling Lorraine," so he decided the woman in the song was named Lorraine...and the song went from there.  

Paul likened this process to two things: one, his song "Call Me Al," which begins "A man walks down the street..." and he had to figure it out who the man was and where he was going. He also mentions another song of his named after a Doo-Wop song: "Why Don't You Write Me" (found on the Bridge Over Troubled Water album).

(To learn more about the process of writing "Call Me Al," read Call Me Al-Behind the Song)

CHALLENGE

I thought this would be a good time to use a Doo-Wop title to create a piece. Since I don't think Doo-Wop is one that we are super familiar with, or a genre we listen to much, it gives us a bit of a blank slate. I'm sure some of the songs we know, but in general I feel the titles lend themselves to some fun writing. 

For example, I saw the title "No, No, No."  I can just imagine all the ways that can be approached...a poem where you playfully say NO to all the things you don't want, a short story about a single mother trying to raise a petulant child, or a nonfiction piece on how we have to say no to the toxic things swirling around us.

Here is a list of Doo-Wop titles:

Top 100 Doo Wop Hits 1954-1963

Feel free to look up any other lists as needed.

If you want to challenge yourself further, come up with a rather mundane opening line and see where it takes you!