I've subscribed to Sunday Scribbling for months now but have never actually participated. The idea behind Sunday Scribbling (which must have originally been posted on Sunday) is "to provide inspiration and motivation for anyone who enjoys writing and would like a weekly challenge." Each week provides a different writing prompt. What comes from that prompt varies widely: poetry, essay, memory, flash fiction, slices of life, or just random thoughts.
Today's prompt: telephone.
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To talk on the phone was all there was. In a notebook, the day’s tally: Lisa (llll lllll lll), Ros (lll), Robyn (llll llll llll llll), Janet (llll), Bryan (llll llll llll ll).
“The lake is windy” meant: “”I can’t say right now; my mother is in the room.”
You could only go as far as the cord would stretch. Your fingers play with the spiral of the cord, always your index finger tucked inside, until claustrophobia presses down too heavily. (Someday in the future there will be cordless phones, then cell phones.)
“Call me.”
“Call me.”
“Call me later.”
Later.
Lisa: colostomy, this summer.
Ros: 10 years or more, no word.
Robyn: turned into a swan
Janet: sending daughter off to college
Bryan: dead, 20 years, 7 months.
Comments
Sunday, May 11, 2008 - Telephone / Sunday Scribblings
Posted by Anonymous
Inventive take!
<a href="http://worldsowide.blogspot.com/">World So Wide</a>
L. Blumfeld
Sunday, May 11, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
That's such a touchingly portrayed little piece. Glad you've decided to take part in Sunday Scribbling.
Imelda / Greenishlady
http://greenishlady.blogspot.com/2008/05/sunday-scribblings-telephone.html
Sunday, May 11, 2008 - sunday scribblings: telephone
Posted by anno
It always astonishes me how a few visceral details -- the tally of calls from your past notebook, a bit of dialog, the tally of your family's lives from the present -- can be so affecting. A lovely post. Welcome to Sunday Scribblings!
Sunday, May 11, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
love the creativity!
Monday, May 12, 2008 - sunday scribbling telephone
Posted by Anonymous
great blog and wonderful post... day's tally of phone calls that was most enjoyable... and note worthy entries at the end...classic... one more believer <a href="http://pieceofpie.wordpress.com/2008/05/12/treetrunks/">treetrunks</a>
