we drove past a smashed semi and three totaled cars. we listened to an interview about spirituality and mark rothko on the radio. we stopped for groceries.
gregory first tried twisting the top of it, then pushing. next he tried pulling it apart from its body. with a smile he said, "it IS a pen!!" his glasses, strapped around his head, were bright blue just like the monkey bars. the two of us became sharks on a bridge. he asked about my notebook. he showed me his teeth.
“the kind of learning which contributes to the growth of the personality is that which engages with life passionately and honestly, if painfully. It is a learning which encourages change, one which inspires growth and supports a person in thinking for himself and thereby becoming more genuinely himself.”
so i slink amid the gutters, trash-can bangers, and street chatter, through the clink of sidewalk clutter, but that clatter makes me gladder; so much gladder that i woof-and i arf, pant, huff, and growl. now i'll shout and raise the roof with one good maxi-canine howl.
fifteen minutes into a thirty minute cycle. i hear my name. not used to talking while climbing stairs. i lose my breath. a meeting is made. i'm nervous. and ready.
specific: 1) clearly defined or identified. 2) precise and clear in making statements or issuing instructions. 3) belonging or relating uniquely to a particular subject. a goal of mine.
i'm playing a video game on a set of steep stairs. it feels like a pyramid. the bathroom floor is wet from people showering. the other girls seem familiar but i don't know them. i have no idea what i'm doing with the game. i'm trying to give the controller away but no one wants it.
we're all along the edge of the room and he's in the middle. he reminds me of an elephant for some reason. he's dusting off and moving around the mantle piece that's in my room now. we're uncomfortable. i'm changing my clothes a lot.
we pack ourselves in the van. i'm in the way-back. the umbrellas for protection have been installed. the heavy beams for the aquarium, lifted up. all of us are out of breath.