At the moment I’m a little bit lax about keeping time. I’m home, my pets and husband are with me, and all I have to do is write my book, be a good friend, and become a better writer by writing better, faster, and more words.
One thing I love is challenging myself with new information to spark my ongoing creativity. To that end, here’s a prompt given by a creativity coach I was invited to check out this week (https://www.facebook.com/Juliadecodes).
Prompt: Write About Your Mother’s Legs
When I was small, my mother laid down every afternoon to nap on the couch. She always slept on her right side, and I curled up against her legs, put my head on the crook of her knees, getting cuddled up behind-her-behind.
I remember how perfectly I fit there. That warm and cozy space, made by her legs stacked one on top of the other, was just for me.
Now that I’m an adult, I realize how many hours, days, weeks, I spent napping curled up against my mother’s butt. I’m surprised she never farted on me. (Not that I remember, anyway.)
Mom turned on soap operas to fall asleep. I remember hearing the litany over and over, “These, are the Days of Our Lives…” followed by Mom’s snores. I wasn’t allowed to make noise–Mom needed to sleep–but sometimes I didn’t fall asleep. I watched the soap operas.
For years I associated television–specifically soap operas–with careful silence. Thrilling, dramatic, confusing things happened on the television, but I was supposed to be napping quietly.
These days, I too lay on the couch when I’m tired and need a nap. My dog likes to jump up behind-my-behind. He puts his chin on my knees or ankles. He does this the same way I did with my mother. When he does it, I tear up with joy at the visceral memory of closeness.
Amused, I smile at the comparison between myself as a child and my sweet old dog. He wants to be close to me, to literally have my back. He grunts, or yawns as he settles. He snores as he sleeps. During active dreams, he yelps or barks, twitching and kicking until I gently wake him with petting. He keeps my backside warm.
I do fart on him.
3/18/2020 by Yvette Keller
What do you think?