Twenty Questions (Wednesday Writing Essential)

Ok, so I’m going to do this thing. Write for five minutes she said. She didn’t say how fast I had to type. Maybe I can slow this thing down so that I actually appear to have something to say. Naw that’s not a strategy. Twenty questions…. I’m thinking about something…Animal? No,...Mineral.. No  vegetable no …incorporeal ..Yes….is it the trip you’re taking to San Francisco next week? Yes! That’s it! How did you guess? I’m going to see my old college friend that I have not seen in about ten years. Last time I saw him he was married with a five year old boy and leaning a little toward a heavy Christian indoctrination. Now he is divorced with a fifteen year old boy, an eight year old girl, and has become very involved with a Buddhist temple. He was always very spiritual. After college he sold everything he owned and flew off to Hawaii with $2000 dollars in his pocket to find himself. I got letters from him saying how one could actually live off the land on the Big Island. I was torn up with envy for years over his courage and sense of adventure. My spiritual journey took me through the dark back alleys of alcoholism, his across the bright shores of Hawaii and through the sunny streets of San Francisco. I marvel sometimes at how we have stayed such good friends over the years and even more at how our different paths have pretty much brought us to the same place. I think there is a lesson in there somewhere but of course since I am writing almost as fast as I am thinking, It would be kind of hard to stop and figure out just what that is. Anyhow, I’m really excited to spend some time with him and catch up on the last ten years. Is that five minutes? I lost track. (boss came in with an important question and some gossip) I broke the rules a bit. I just couldn’t tell him to wait until I finish my automatic writing challenge I just don’t think he would have understood.) Back to the trip. We plan on taking a few days and travel up the coast. I’ve never been north of S.F. His kids will be staying with their mother part of the time so it will probably just be the two of us. Just like in college. We had the most fun. He has a sense of humor that just leaves you in stitches - and it is a perfect match to mine. Ok, that’s got to be five minutes…maybe I’ll continue this story later.

(unedited…five minutes…stream of conscious, supposed to be about blocks? Actually I couldn’t remember them and went in a different direction, ok I did mention some blocks, alcoholism, envy, my boss- We’ll call it a draw ok Susan? )

Twenty Questions

What do you want

to know about August?

Is it too hot? Will it be so dry

that my lawn turns brown and

the soil cracks under my foundation?

Why won’t you stop

pretending that you are like rain,

tracing bold paths to the sea?

It’s hot and August is waiting

Are you animal? mineral? vegetable?