Saturday, February 16, 2008

Writing prompt.......

There is a writing prompt given in the journal software that I sometimes use. I have been on a journaling/writing kick lately doing Julia Cameron's Morning Pages each day, keeping a food journal per Julia Cameron's new book, The Writing Diet, doing a daily Lenten Meditation journal, and yesterday I started a knitting journal to keep track of a sweater I am making. Today I thought I would write a short piece based on the writing prompt and post it on my blog. Here it is.......

"Tracing the outline of her face from a photograph..."

Tracing the outline of her face from a photograph I realized how sharp her nose appeared. Funny that I had never noticed that before. I thought I knew her face so well. But did I ever really look at her face before? Did I memorize her features? Her eyes always captured my attention, as they were so blue - a light blue, an almost transparent blue. I envied those eyes. Those eyes always seemed to command attention and long looks. No one ever turned away from Carolyn Ann because they were bored. She captured your attention with her eyes and then held it with her ability to listen. She seemed to listen with her whole body - first the eyes, then the tilted head, then the body leaning forward. People poured out their stories at the easy prompts from Carolyn Ann's mouth.
I started to cry again, salty tears running down my face. Carolyn Ann was dead. Her death was a shock, a senseless accident, a slippery road and a careless teenage driver. He was dead too. So senseless and horrible and sad. Two good lives suddenly gone from this earth, leaving grieving families and friends.
The picture of Carolyn Ann was in my photo album. It was a picture taken while we were sitting around a table at Linda's wedding reception just a year ago. Carolyn Ann was dressed in her new blue silk dress with the belted waist. How I envied her that day. She looked so beautiful and so self-assured. She was comfortable in her own skin. Perhaps that is why she was so good at focusing on other people. Aha, there is a lesson in that thought. But then, that was Carolyn Ann, her very life was a lesson to be learned and it came through even in a picture.
Thank you Carolyn Ann - for your brief life and for your example. I will miss you.


Writing can be fun when I am in the mood..............

1 comment:

Maureen and P.D. the Pet Dog said...

Hi Bonnie, I love what you wrote about Carolyn Ann. I didn't know she died, I'm so sorry to hear, I know she was a special person to you. Moe