Writing Exercise #44
Being poor and doing taxes is stressful. I almost forgot to put up this prompt. I'm sorry.
INGREDIENTS
1. Twenty things you remember that he/she doesn't.
- - - -
Go to town. You don't have to focus on one person, here. Let the hes and shes be numerous. Remember specific details, but if you make them up, be sure to make them meaty. (You know how you remember things the way your young or in love or grieving or tired or drugged or sad or excited self perceived them? And looking back at it, you know there's no way things happened like that? Include those things.) Give as much atmosphere as you can muster. Write what took the place of the other person's memory of it, or write where they left the memory. Why doesn't your father remember leaving you in the car all that time? What did your lover do instead of hold your hand? Did your wife leave your wedding anniversary in the medicine cabinet? What is it doing there? What happens to half-remembered things?
If you're the non-rememberer, that's okay too.
_____________________
(This exercise was inspired by the poem Neglecting the Kids by the great Jack Gilbert. If you're going to borrow his form completely, don't forget to write "after Jack Gilbert." Because we gotta give credit where credit is due.)
INGREDIENTS
1. Twenty things you remember that he/she doesn't.
- - - -
Go to town. You don't have to focus on one person, here. Let the hes and shes be numerous. Remember specific details, but if you make them up, be sure to make them meaty. (You know how you remember things the way your young or in love or grieving or tired or drugged or sad or excited self perceived them? And looking back at it, you know there's no way things happened like that? Include those things.) Give as much atmosphere as you can muster. Write what took the place of the other person's memory of it, or write where they left the memory. Why doesn't your father remember leaving you in the car all that time? What did your lover do instead of hold your hand? Did your wife leave your wedding anniversary in the medicine cabinet? What is it doing there? What happens to half-remembered things?
If you're the non-rememberer, that's okay too.
_____________________
(This exercise was inspired by the poem Neglecting the Kids by the great Jack Gilbert. If you're going to borrow his form completely, don't forget to write "after Jack Gilbert." Because we gotta give credit where credit is due.)
at
4:32 PM
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