I remember throwing my first punch into Robbie Johnson’s third grade nose.
Blood and tears.
He started it.
I remember marching around the block.
Scott led the way in one of mom’s shag wigs,
a yellow polka dot bikini, and high heels.
We used sticks for scepters.
I remember when Davey Jones broke up with my Barbie after she cut her hair.
She knew things would never be the same and spent the rest of her days hiding in the garage.
I remember Trixie Belden books under the covers
with flashlights becoming a cross round my neck
to finger while reading Salem’s Lot.
I remember Hash jeans with a crescent moon on one back pocket,
and bells so big they could ring.
I remember Cheryl M, mean girl. Snake.
I remember loving Kirk until his fists hit my face
while his friends did bong hits in the other room
ignoring my pleas.
That’s what I get for punching Robbie Johnson.
Brenda Warren 2016
Notes: The prompt at NaPoWriMo today suggested we write a based on things we remember. An excerpt from a memoir piece, “I Remember,” by Joe Brainard was provided there as an example. I liked the excerpt and tried to follow suit.
Strong voice, clear and as fluid as the memories. That last line is a punch, all its own,
Elizabeth
http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/
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Trixie Belden! ‘Salem’s Lot! We were book buddies! 🙂
I LOVE the way this comes full circle in a funny way, completely belie-ing the terrible story at its center. And that “He started it.” is wonderful.
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Thank you, De. Book buddies, yes! I’ve been contemplating rereading some of King’s early books. Salem’s Lot and The Stand were my favorites. And for the record, Robbie Johnson did start it. He ripped my brand new winter coat.
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That savage!
I went back and read some of King’s short stories fairly recently, starting with ‘Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,’ because somebody had talked about the movie (one of my favorites…when we still had cable, we called that thing where you sit down to just watch a few minutes of a movie you’ve seen a zillion times while eating lunch, folding a load of laundry, etc…then getting so sucked in you have to watch it all the way to the end…we called that getting “Shawshanked.” 😉
King’s 11/22/63 is exquisitely worth the time, if you haven’t read it yet.
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I did not read Trixie to my kids (as I have a boy and a girl, 16 months apart)…but they are both well versed in the world of Ramona Quimby, et all. 😉
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That’s great! I love the Shawshank Redemption, too. It’s a standard in our house. Thanks for the book recommendation. Nope…haven’t read it….yet!
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I love the first stanza! So much the last line is hard to cope with.
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Thanks, Angela. I agonized over the ending, too, but it kept making me laugh in a funny / not funny way–so it stuck.
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I like how you ended up with a “that’s what I get…” But, ouch! Growing up is traumatic. By the way, you totally deserve the featured spot yesterday.
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Thanks, Angie. ❤
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Sweetness and light. Thanks for the smile. Enjoyed!
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This is enchanting. Many of us could come up with memories like these.
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