The Wallet

This short story is about an old man who is tiered of losing his wallets to pick pockets when ever he goes shopping at the mall.  He gets tiered of people picking his pockets so he comes up with a plan to get even with the pick pockets.  He stuffs a phony wallet with expired Florida lottery tickets, expired food coupons and a fortune from and old fortune cookie.

He puts the wallet in his back pocket to see what it looks like.  All is ago and his daughter drives him to the mall where at random he picks out a store to try his plan on.  wouldn't you know it some one picks his pocket as he is bent over trying to pick up merchandise that has fallen to the floor.

The thief is chased by a sales clerk and other shoppers in the store join in.  The thief gets caught, the wallet is retrieved.  The sales clerk tries to return the wallet to the old man but, the old man runs from the store, jumps into his daughters car and tells her to drive fast.

This was a funny little story that was an easy read.  It was all of three or four paragraphs long.  It is the kind of story that I like.  It was very descriptive, short, sweet and to the point.  There was no need to rattle your brain to figure out what the author, Allen Woodman, wanted you to get.  

Servivers

I am reading the short story Survivors by Kim Addonizio.  It talks about two lovers who talk about dying from aids.  One wants to die first because he doesn't want all the drama that going to come from his lovers family if he goes first. He doesn't want to with his lovers parrot or his lovers family.  The father of his partner has issues with his partners sexual orientation.  He tried in his earlier years to beat the gayness out of him, which did not work.

The main character of this story doesn't want to deal with his partners mother because she would she would be kind but sorrowful.  She secretly blames him for the dilemma both men are facing at this time.  The mother's letters for the past seven years, had been shared with him.  He knew that the whole family would disapprove of the apartment and living arrangement that these two men had.

The main character in this story, at the end, wants to clean the apartment of any items that shows their sexual orientation.  He thinks about opening the birds cage and letting the it fly out the open window and join the other birds who are free.  He says with that last act of setting the parrot free he would then be completely alone.  He thinks to himself "dear God, let me die first, don't let me survive him".

I enjoyed reading this little story.  It was short, sweet, and to the point.  It had a beginning, middle and an end. I could follow along with the story line.  I could understand it.

I have a lot of trouble writing anything. My mind goes blank and the words don't come to me, be it fiction, non-fiction or poetry.  I can't seem to come up with the right words to express how I fell or what I am thinking. My mind just goes totally blank when I need to some up with something for my classes.

This class is helping me to overcome my writers block.  I start off by just writing sentences down and then I just go back and fill in the blanks.  This helps me to come up with something I can call good writing.

I have been reading the book Writing don the bones, trying to get some ideas as to how to start writing poems for my portfolio, which is due in a couple of days.

Here is my first poem entitled " My Room".

This room a 9 by 14 inch space, walls painted beige and white.
Who shared this space before me.
A few holes in the walls where some art works hung.
I wonder what went on in this space before me.
The carpet soiled with dirt.
You can see where some furniture was placed.
There is dust in each corner of the space.
Were there people in this space before me.
Were there animals in this space before me.
I can see brown spots in the center of the carpet.
How many lives have been lived in this space before me.

Airporter



An expensive dumping ground in Pennsylvania where van seats shake as the cars are being destroyed.

The borders of two countries where you can by cigarettes and alcohol.  Where old refineries and cranes line the borders.

The moon comes up over a barren horizon and the only thing you see is an evergreen tree swaying in the wind.

The woman you don't love is nice.

"She kisses you hard on your lips while holding your face in her big hands".




Poem on page 25



The places where weddings and big parties take place have closed and resemble refugee camps.

This band plays at weddings parties once a month but often were interrupted by the militia.  The militia would enjoy the music and often rob the audience.  The events were large and spectacular affairs.  "Only the people who came from big armed clans could have parties like this.  Others just got married in secret.