Re: Discourses – An Introduction

I’ve been reading Racism 101, a book by Nikki Giovanni. In a section entitled “Discourses: An Introduction”, Giovanni writes:

Writing is both a public and private pleasure. We write alone, talking to ourselves, trying to explain the universe in a series of metaphors, hoping to be understood. We mostly put away our thoughts, satisfied that we have written them. Occasionally we take a chance comparable only to skydiving without a parachute: We say to family, friend or lover, “Look what I wrote.”

Parents spoil children. Having been, and, in fact, being, both a child and a parent, I remember the utter embarrassment of my mother taking my poor efforts and putting them on walls. Even yet she has things I wrote in my preschool days. I have done the same to my son. Little notes he wrote from vacations, stories from second grade, are neatly framed, gracing my walls. I don’t think parents do that to hold on to the child; I think we do it to let the child know we are proud of the effort. The only thing more embarrassing than having to look at and be reminded that once we could neither color within the lines nor spell is … well … nothing. Where would we be if mothers didn’t hold on to scraps. How would we know who we are?

Tonight I was looking through some of my childhood writings, and came across a creative writing piece called, “Mom Can I Have A Party”. It appears that I wrote it in 3rd grade and tried unsuccessfully to get it published in the Lansing State Journal. I am posting this here because writers like Nikki Giovanni have inspired me to share one of the places where I came from.

I now present to you, in its raw and unedited form, “Mom Can I Have A Party”:

“Mom can I have a party?” asked Correy.
“Not until the house is clean,” said mom.
“Ok” said Correy. So Correy rushed to the Mini-Mart and bought a vacuum.

The  he went back home as fast as he could so he could have the party.

When he got home he vacuumed all that he could vacuum and threw away every single piece of paper in the house until his mom screamed, “Correy! Don’t throw away ALL the paper away in the house.”

“Okay mom. But it will look alot cleaner,” yelled Correy.

“No it will look alot dirtier,” screamed mom.

“Ok,” said Correy. So Correy rushed outside and got some of the paper. While his mom was washing the dishes Correy’s dad zoomed home in a limo, because Correy’s dad worked for the FBI.

He had some black sunglasses on and a trenchcoat. When Correy was done cleaning he set up the couch and was ready for the party.

Then he rushed to the phone and invited all his friend. He had diet Coke and Minute Maid. “We were on tv and ABC. We also had Shaquille O’Neal come over because we lived on planet Reebok,” shouted a kid.

“Mom! I got two dogs and their names are Snuffleupagus and Princess” yelled Correy. They are boy and a girl. Princess and Snuffleupagus had 5 babies. They looked just like their parents. After the party Shaq autographed Correy’s Shaquille O’Neal plaque. His mom said the house looked like a pigpen. But Correy just went to the TV and turned it on and a McDonalds’ commercial came on and it and it said “Hey! It could happen to you!” So Correy ran to the TV and turned it off.

So Correy rushed to his mom and asked for some money to get a shampooer for the carpet, because their were 15 stains in the carpet. And then he cleaned up the house.(Like at the beginning of the story.)

TO BE CONTINUED………

Wow, it sure is interesting to see where I came from. Without holding on to writing like the piece above, I would have no idea just how far my writing has progressed (or regressed).