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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Writing Assignment


I wrote this scene for my writing class this morning. The premise of the assignment was to  flesh out a scene from a list of verbs that one person or animal can do to another person or animal and then randomly assigning words like “boy,” “girl,” “man,” “woman,” “dog,” “cat,” etc. to the left and right of the verb.
I chose man loves girl from the list. 

He scans the hall searching for his wife among the crowd. He catches sight of her face looking anxiously towards the door. She smiles with relief when she sees him. Pulling his coat off he quickly makes his way up the aisle to the front row where she is waiting for him.  The musty odour of soggy wool permeates through the hall. The sounds of people shifting in their seats, coughing, sneezing and clearing their throats fills the air. He settles into the seat beside her just as the lights in the hall begin to dim.

“I didn’t think you were going to make it,” she whispers

“Traffic,” he replied

“Did you bring your camera,” she asked.

“Oh no! I left it in the car,” he said, running his fingers through his hair.

“It’s okay, I brought mine.”

"Was Amy nervous?"

"Once I told her you would be here she seemed fine."

The hum of hushed voices and polite laughter is silenced by the darkness.
A sliver of light is visible through the gapping curtain. The silence is shattered by a microphone voice from behind the curtain.

“Is this thing on?”

Laughter ripples through the hall. The principal appears through the gapping curtain microphone in hand and welcomes the parents, grandparents and family members to this years Christmas concert production. She steps back behind the curtain to the sound of pounding feet on the stage. The curtain opens in short jerking spurts to the claps of the anxious and expectant audience. The band begins to play under the supervision and direction of the band teacher. The concert is underway.


The chorus sing and the band play a selection of popular Christmas songs. Parents are bopping up and down in their seats and making their way towards the stage with cameras to capture and record another milestone event in their child’s life.


The band and chorus fall silent as a piano is pushed onto the stage. A young man rushes out and places a microphone at the centre of the stage. The principal walks out and announces a special treat for the audience, a young soloist who possess the voice of an angel the music department discovered purely by accident. The principal lowers the microphone and backs off the stage with arm outstretched by way of introduction.

Amy walks across the stage taking her position in front of the microphone. He reaches over and takes his wife’s hand in his and gives it a little squeeze. Tears of pride and love pool in his eyes. He wills the nerves and stage fright he knows Amy is feeling to ease. The band teacher sits behind the piano and begins to play the first chords of Pie Jesu.


She scans the hall looking for her parents. Finding them her eyes lock onto his. She clears her throat takes a step back from the microphone, takes a deep breath, opens her mouth and the hall resounds with the sweet and pure timbre of her voice. He holds her in his eyes until the last note. The silence is shattered by the sudden crash of chairs being pushed back. The audience is on their feet clapping and shouting for more. She bobs a curtsey and blows a kiss towards her parents and with a nervous little giggle runs off the stage.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

If I Were......

When I stopped over at  Rainy Day Wanderer  for a bit of a visit I found this great list.  I thought it was fun and so decided to take a leaf from the The Words Crafter's post. Pop over and check out her very interesting list.


-If I were a season, I would be autumn
- If I were a month, I would be September
- If I were a day of the week, I would be Friday
- If I were a time of day, I would be twilight
- If I were a planet, I would be Neptune
- If I were a direction, I would be East

- If I were a tree, I would be a Cherry Blossom
- If I were a flower, I would be a lily
- If I were a fruit, I would be a peach
- If I were a land animal, I would be a horse
- If I were a sea animal, I would be a dolphin
- If I were a bird, I would be a dove
- If I were a piece of furniture, I would be a sofa
- If I were a liquid, I would be water
- If I were a stone, I would be pearl
- If I were a tool, I would be a hammer
- If I were a kind of weather, I would be stormy
- If I were a musical instrument, I would be a piano
- If I were a color, I would be royal blue
- If I were a facial expression, I would be a smile
- If I were an emotion, I would be uncertainty
- If I were a sound, I would be lapping waves
- If I were an element, I would be water
- If I were a car, I would be a 1920 Stutz Bearcat.


- If I were a food, I would be Black Forest Gateaux
- If I were a place, I would be Florence
- If I were a flavor, I would be cherry
- If I were a scent, I would be lavender
- If I were an object, I would be a Degas painting
- If I were a body part, I would be an eye
- If I were a song, I would be Tapestry by Carol King
- If I were a pair of shoes, I would be a pair of  heels
- If I were transportation, I would be a horse drawn carriage
- If I were a fairy tale, I would be The Little Mermaid
- If I were a holiday, I would be Christmas
- If I were a novel, I would be Tale of Two Cities
- If I were a movie, I would be Gone With The Wind

Thursday, November 4, 2010

All About the Zip and the Geese


The voice on the radio this morning told me it was only 31degrees outside and I didn’t doubt him for a second. I felt the chill in the air as I moved about the kitchen filling the kettle in anticipation of my first and favorite cuppa of the day. Once breakfast was finished I went in search of my down lined winter coat that had been stashed in the storage wardrobe last spring . Once I located my coat I next rummaged through the winter hat and glove drawer. I eventually found my woolly ruby red cap and gloves. The voice on the radio warned me and I was taking the warning seriously.

I struggled with the zipper on my coat for a good five minutes. The coat is in perfect condition but the zip….well the zip is temperamental to say the least. It is a nylon zip, need I say more. The worst kind in my estimation. It likes to split from the bottom as I zip it up. I struggle to re-zip by forcing the zipper down and starting over again. I tug and I pull. I huff and I puff. It can take many attempts and usually does especially when I am pressed for time and rushing for work. This morning to vent the frustration welling up in me, I cursed the zipper and gave up. With the zip separated half way up, I resorted to snapping the snaps and out the door I went.

The sky this morning was a wonderful soft blue and nearly cloudless, expect for one lone cotton puff that seemed to gently glide by. The air was crisp as promised by the voice on the radio. My exhales visible bringing to mind smoke signals from old black and white movies and that’s when I heard it. The first time this season! The honking sounds of Wild Geese and flying in formation directly overhead. I don’t know if this is early or late for the geese but a silly thought crossed my mind. Had they heard the voice on the radio this morning? I shivered slightly as a gust of wind caught my breathe. Shoving my hands into the pockets I pulled my down lined winter coat closer into my body.

So the geese have decided it is time to get out of town. I looked after them longingly thinking there go some pretty smart birds. The sight of the geese overhead flying out of town heralds the impending arrival of winter. I wish I could pick up and fly off to avoid the approaching winter. How I would love to head for warmer climes. My restless spirit once more coming to the fore. My mother often told me she thought I had gypsy blood flowing in my veins as I was only happy when packing a suitcase. I smile at the memory as I make my way across campus. The honking of the geese fills the air as I dream of flying away.

I look with envy at the geese as they fly off into the horizon. They are free to go. To migrate away from the bitterness of the coming winter. While I will spend the next months struggling with the annoying nylon zip in my down lined winter coat. Oh but to soar free. I look up towards the sky again as the geese fly further away and the sound of the honking fades in the distance with each step I take. And then I hear it, the clack, clack, clicking of my coat’s zipper separating again. I look wistfully at the geese. With a deep sigh I resign myself to being earth bound in my down lined winter coat with the temperamental and very annoying nylon zip.