Creative Writing

I know it has been a while since my last blog and I do apologize to my loyal readers. School has kept me pretty busy especially since I’ve been taking a graduate course in creative writing. Even though I’m not in the master’s program yet, the professor has given me permission to take the class. I highly recommend it for those students who plan on entering the master’s program. Anywhoo, this class, along with Cultural Studies, has become one of my favorite classes. More frequently do I get to delve into my curious mind of storytelling, poetry writing, fantasy literature, and exploring new ideas I never knew I had. So, even though I have a list of topics saved up in my favorite’s folder to blog about, I’m going to put those aside and try something here first. A student in my class decided to tell a story using her play list on her ipod. It got me to thinking about how I can come up with such a thing and decided to give it a go. So, below is a story created following my play list on my ipod that I use when I go walking to Tamarack Beach. I hope you enjoy…

I looked at her and felt the “mercy” of her soul. She sits in the corner dramatizing a situation that occurs on a regular basis. Oh wait, here comes the “‘I never loved a man” like him before” speech she always throws at me when recovering her feelings. Sometimes I want to grab her head with each hand full of her hair and just shake it! How can I force her to just “think?” Why doesn’t she get it? I look at her and just nod my head in understanding while she tells me the rest of “the story” I’ve heard a thousand times. “I was supposed to carry his ‘last name.’” she cries to me. “He was my man, my knight, my ‘soldier,’ and my true love.” Little did she know that he was a bunch of other girl’s true love. And maybe even some guys? Anyway, she hasn’t been the same since “Calabria.” He should have picked somewhere else to dump her. And now, I have to get her drunk enough to keep her mind off of him. Drunk enough to go out and party just a little. Drunk enough for her to forget her sorrows. And, drunk enough to hear her horrible rendition of “killing me softly.”

After I parked my car down the ally, we begin walking towards the bar. Yes, that unforgettable bar. That bar that seems to take us "somewhere over the rainbow" everytime we go in. That bar that is always there like a true friend to offer us some beers while I sit there with boredom and listen to her whine and cry. We find a spot to sit at and right next to us is a group of Mexican catty women arguing about whose fault it was for leaving their friend behind. I hear one of them yell “Tu eres ‘mala gente’ y quiero que te vallas de aqui.” Actually, their story is much more interesting. I wish she’d hurry up and stop crying. “I did so much for him!” she continues to cry to me. “I bent over backwards to please him! And you know what, ‘I kissed a girl’ for him too! Yup! Just cause he was curious!” In the midst of her continuous cry, I am distracted by the catty Mexican women next to us. I’m trying to hold my laughter and keep a serious face for my hurt friend, but it’s just too funny! “Y ‘ahora quien’ pendeja!” she yells at her friend. I tell you, this bar has been more entertaining in the past twenty minutes than the past couple of years we’ve been coming here. Oh what I wouldn’t give to have him standing in front of me. Superficial son of a bitch rockstar wannabe! “I’m so grateful to have you.” she says to me. “I know. I’ll always be ‘by your side’ sweetie.” I reply.

After she drank a few beers and was a little point passed buzz, but not drunk, we head home. I made the mistake of turning on the radio in the car on our way home. Before I could change the station she yells “Oh my God it’s our ‘love song’!” I think I just dug her into a deeper whole! Oh well! It’s never too late for me to get her back out. I’ve know this routine far so long. But then again, she never cried in front of me like this before. I just hope she’s all better by summertime!!!

Ok, below is the list of songs used in the story in the same order. Hope you enjoyed!

“Mercy” by Duffy
“I Never Loved a Man” by Aretha Franklin
“Think” by Aretha Franklin
“The Story” by Brandi Carlile
“Last Name” by Carrie Underwood
“Soldier” by Destiny’s Child
“Calabria” by Enur
“Killing Me Softly” by The Fugees
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland
“Mala Gente” by Juanes
“I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry
“Ahora Quien” by Mar Anthony
“Rockstar” by Nickelback
“By Your Side” by Sade
“Love Song” by Sara Bareilles
“Never Too Late” by Three Days Grace
“She Never Cried In Front of Me” by Toby Keith
“Summertime” by Billy Stewart