Woodstock's Blog

In for a penny, in for a pound. I've debated sharing my writing exercise from last week's class, and decided to go for it. This was described as "ekphrastic" - a term I'd never heard before. The general idea is to write in response to some other input - an event, a song, nature. The instructor had a large treasure trove of postcards, and after we each chose one, we were to write in response to the photograph on the card. I chose one with a pen and ink drawing of a cat. And I used the technique of a list.

Mississippi, who suffered unjustly from my own despair

Sheridan, the first to claim my heart and whom I lost to his unbridled independence

Boomer, who had the best I could give him and a better life, even though it was a short life, because of me

Sinatra, with the maximum intensity purr and a tragic failure of vitality

Roseanne, who not be an afterthought and made a place for herself, not caring what anyone else intended

Grinch, whose need for a home and whose ease of accomodation soothed the bitter pain of a premature farewell

Lady, who came to me through an unknown chain of cruelty, abandonment, then rescue, followed by marking time in a shelter. Now she rests curled in my arms while Grinch awaits his turn on my lap and all her predecessors prowl through my memory.