Preliminary Draft: Memoir, EWRT42
Expectations: 3-5(max 7)double spaced, 12pt. font, pages of a Memoir themed piece.
Requirements: Email to group members for Peer Review; bring copies for class, to review in group.
Below is my first run through...expect it to not be finished looking or sounding. ;)
~~~
Veterans of a Sort
Out there in the atmosphere, there are those who remember. Those who have walked between the worlds, seen the end of time, and made it back by dinner from saving the skins of those they hold dear (along with those that they don't). A feeling so raw overcomes me as memories of my teen years wash over me. Everything was immediate, of dire importance,...of life and death, once upon a time. Made especially so by those girls with whom I shared myself with. All of my secrets, for better or worse, were laid bare in such a short time, creating bonds that will last the whole of my life.
There were six of us, officially. If you read the initials in the tattoo that four of the six of us have, it goes like so: Candice, Carla, Amber, Sheli, Tiah, and Gretta. We were the girls of the Foxfyre Circle, and though that name was never official, it tells you a little bit more about who we were. It tells you further still about who we are still, to this day.
I have been told that we all make friends for life, that girls just do that--we are fervent in our need to belong and to feel loved. I cannot say that this is a universal truth. It was not the case for myself, when entering high school or now, 10 plus years after Graduation. Something magickal happened to us there and then. Something that maybe happens once in a lifetime, if you are lucky. It could be said that it was like being in Love. In fact, it was a lot like being in love, especially for myself.
I could tell you of each memory that I have for meeting each girl. The sun's position, the feeling in the air...what it meant to be a teenaged girl finding a friend who understood exactly what I felt. It all seems a little mellow dramatic now, in reflection, but that is the life of a teenager. Everything is like an open wound, no words too sweet or too bitter can describe your emotions. It is all of that, times ten. But, when you find your niche, along with others who seem to share your interests, you feel at ease. The world is suddenly righted from its topsy-turvy position, and you can smile again.
These are things that most of us can understand, can relate to, having survived the most tumultuous years of our lives. They are what make us into adults, who can deal with our love lives more effectively, as well as be productive citizens. I shudder to think what I would be like, emotionally, had I not had a core group of girlfriends who would listen to my gripes and complaints, who would ask me for advice...with whom, I could argue until the cows come home. I am the woman you see today based on the friendships I built in my girlhood.
Instead of telling you of all the times we cried in each others' arms, got drunk and yelled about our parents or boys, let me tell you something that is a little more concrete. So concrete that you can see it in not just in my eyes, but in my flesh, as well. You see, there are friends who will help you move, but your real friends will help you move bodies. These are the kinds of friends who will get a phone number for you, or pull a shotgun on your abusive boyfriend. These are my kind of girlfriends.
I have several tattoos, and a couple of scars on my body, that mark my allegiance. The most obvious of these is the aforementioned one involving our initials. The letters, in an Old School font, arch over a rainbow coloured ball of flame, with a banner across the bottom, bearing the nickname that we chose for each other. The tattoo was designed by Candice, inspired by Joyce Carol Oates' novel, "Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang." Likewise, the nicknames are derived from characters.
We fast friends had heard of the book, but hadn't read it before we saw the film, which starred Angelina Jolie...
My name is Maddie, ala Maddy Wurtz, the teller of the story of the gang. Candice became Legs, the leader of the gang known for her running skills. Goldie was taken by Gretta, who longed for the strength and the butch demeanor of that character. For the others, one character was split between two of the last three girls. Rita, aka Red, was a bit wild but demure, and was an original member of the gang. Amber and Tiah shared many of the qualities of Rita,...
Requirements: Email to group members for Peer Review; bring copies for class, to review in group.
Below is my first run through...expect it to not be finished looking or sounding. ;)
~~~
Veterans of a Sort
Out there in the atmosphere, there are those who remember. Those who have walked between the worlds, seen the end of time, and made it back by dinner from saving the skins of those they hold dear (along with those that they don't). A feeling so raw overcomes me as memories of my teen years wash over me. Everything was immediate, of dire importance,...of life and death, once upon a time. Made especially so by those girls with whom I shared myself with. All of my secrets, for better or worse, were laid bare in such a short time, creating bonds that will last the whole of my life.
There were six of us, officially. If you read the initials in the tattoo that four of the six of us have, it goes like so: Candice, Carla, Amber, Sheli, Tiah, and Gretta. We were the girls of the Foxfyre Circle, and though that name was never official, it tells you a little bit more about who we were. It tells you further still about who we are still, to this day.
I have been told that we all make friends for life, that girls just do that--we are fervent in our need to belong and to feel loved. I cannot say that this is a universal truth. It was not the case for myself, when entering high school or now, 10 plus years after Graduation. Something magickal happened to us there and then. Something that maybe happens once in a lifetime, if you are lucky. It could be said that it was like being in Love. In fact, it was a lot like being in love, especially for myself.
I could tell you of each memory that I have for meeting each girl. The sun's position, the feeling in the air...what it meant to be a teenaged girl finding a friend who understood exactly what I felt. It all seems a little mellow dramatic now, in reflection, but that is the life of a teenager. Everything is like an open wound, no words too sweet or too bitter can describe your emotions. It is all of that, times ten. But, when you find your niche, along with others who seem to share your interests, you feel at ease. The world is suddenly righted from its topsy-turvy position, and you can smile again.
These are things that most of us can understand, can relate to, having survived the most tumultuous years of our lives. They are what make us into adults, who can deal with our love lives more effectively, as well as be productive citizens. I shudder to think what I would be like, emotionally, had I not had a core group of girlfriends who would listen to my gripes and complaints, who would ask me for advice...with whom, I could argue until the cows come home. I am the woman you see today based on the friendships I built in my girlhood.
Instead of telling you of all the times we cried in each others' arms, got drunk and yelled about our parents or boys, let me tell you something that is a little more concrete. So concrete that you can see it in not just in my eyes, but in my flesh, as well. You see, there are friends who will help you move, but your real friends will help you move bodies. These are the kinds of friends who will get a phone number for you, or pull a shotgun on your abusive boyfriend. These are my kind of girlfriends.
I have several tattoos, and a couple of scars on my body, that mark my allegiance. The most obvious of these is the aforementioned one involving our initials. The letters, in an Old School font, arch over a rainbow coloured ball of flame, with a banner across the bottom, bearing the nickname that we chose for each other. The tattoo was designed by Candice, inspired by Joyce Carol Oates' novel, "Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang." Likewise, the nicknames are derived from characters.
We fast friends had heard of the book, but hadn't read it before we saw the film, which starred Angelina Jolie...
My name is Maddie, ala Maddy Wurtz, the teller of the story of the gang. Candice became Legs, the leader of the gang known for her running skills. Goldie was taken by Gretta, who longed for the strength and the butch demeanor of that character. For the others, one character was split between two of the last three girls. Rita, aka Red, was a bit wild but demure, and was an original member of the gang. Amber and Tiah shared many of the qualities of Rita,...