Monday, September 13, 2004
A Life
Original
Prologue: Steven is born in a hospital at a beachside suburb.
“What does that mean?”
“ I’m sorry to say that it means that Steven
will have a shortened life span.”
“Shortened? How shortened?”
“ He probably won’t live past twenty one.”
Joe, Steven’s father, sits down and weeps.
The doctor puts his hand on Joe’s right shoulder.
“ Wh wh what causes it?”
“ Nobody knows.”
“ Is there a cure?”
“ Unfortunately, no.”
“ How’s my wife.”
“ She’s resting.”
“ Has she been told?
” “ No.”
“ I’ll tell her.”
I A life gone, remembered, and celebrated.
Time passed.
Three days shy of his twenty-first birthday
Joe and Kate buried their son.
There were hundreds of people at the funeral:
Steven’s extended family,
his friends,
his girlfriend.
When he was sixteen,
Steven kissed another boy-
just to see what it was like;
he preferred girls.
He died with a Bachelor of Science degree,
three surfing trophies,
a tattoo of a tiger on his arm,
minus his appendix and tonsils.
He died with a driver’s license,
Angelina Jolie’s autograph,
(Which he got – plus a kiss on the lips! - when he was in Hollywood.)
He died with a scar on his leg
that he got that one of many times
he had played football with his brothers, Brian and Peter.
And two false front teeth because of his bad-tempered sister, Gracie
(a true story that had become more and more embellished as
it become ingrained into the children’s lore:
“ And then Gracie grabbed the hammer and WHACK!”)
Steven died with hundreds of poems- saved to his hard drive-that were really journal entries. He loved art, music, movies, and writing
But he wasn’t creative in those ways.
He was more scientifically minded,
hence the degree,
he enjoyed puns and corny old jokes.
(and practical ones too!)
II The Ocean Speaks
The funeral ended.
There was no wake.
Joe and Kate went home with their family.
That night, none of them could sleep
And they were all somehow more fully aware of the sounds of the nearby ocean.
Epilogue: Steven’s Epitaph
Here lies our son and brother, Steven
His life was short,
but it was full and it was good.
He loved and was beloved.
Rewrite
He had a Bachelor of Science degree,
three surfing trophies,
a tattoo of a tiger on his arm,
His appendix and tonsils had both been removed.
He had a driver’s license, Angelina Jolie’s autograph,
(Which he had gotten – plus a kiss on the lips! - when he was in Hollywood.)
And there was that time,that day at the beach,
when he kissed another boyjust to see what it was like;
he preferred girls.
He had a 6 inch scar on his right leg
that he had gotten that one of many times
he played football in the backyard with his brothers, Brian and Peter.
And two false front teeth because of his bad-tempered sister, Gracie
He had hundreds of poems saved to his hard drive-which were really journal entries.
He loved art, music, movies, and writing
But he wasn’t creative in those ways.
He was more scientifically minded,
hence the degree,
he enjoyed puns and corny old jokes.
His name was Stephen
and three days shy of his twenty-first birthday,
his parents, Joe and Kate,
buried him.
They had been told, by the doctors, when he was born
that he would he would die young.
After the funeral had ended.
Joe and Kate went home with their family.
That night, none of them could sleep.
And they were all somehow more aware of the sounds of the ocean.
Rewrite 2
He had a Bachelor of Science degree- marine biology,
three surfing trophies,
a tattoo of a dolphin on his left arm.
His appendix and tonsils had both been removed.
He had a 9 inch scar- that zigged and zagged up his right leg-
which he had gotten while playing frisbee
on the beach with his brothers, Brian and Peter.
An accident which involved broken glass.
And two false front teeth because of his bad-tempered sister, Gracie.
He had hundreds of poems- most of them Metaphysical
saved to his hard drive.
He loved art, music, movies, and writing.
Picasso, Donne, Punk and Jazz, Hubert Selby Jnr
But he wasn’t creative in those ways.
He was more scientifically minded, hence the degree.
He enjoyed corny old jokes.
He had a driver’s license,
and Angelina Jolie’s autograph,
Which he had gotten when he was in Hollywood.
There was a time,that day at the beach,
when he kissed another boy
just to see what it was like:he preferred girls.
"Their lips are softer"
His name was Stephen
and three days after his twenty-third birthday,
his parents, Joe and Kate,
buried him.
They had been told, by the doctors, when he was born
that he would he would die young from some genetic abnormality
that they couldn't pronounce.
The Ramones' ‘Rockaway Beach’ played through loud speakers
as his body was laid to rest.
After the funeral ended,
Joe and Kate went home with their family.
That night, none of them could sleep.
And they were all somehow more aware of the sounds of the ocean.
Prologue: Steven is born in a hospital at a beachside suburb.
“What does that mean?”
“ I’m sorry to say that it means that Steven
will have a shortened life span.”
“Shortened? How shortened?”
“ He probably won’t live past twenty one.”
Joe, Steven’s father, sits down and weeps.
The doctor puts his hand on Joe’s right shoulder.
“ Wh wh what causes it?”
“ Nobody knows.”
“ Is there a cure?”
“ Unfortunately, no.”
“ How’s my wife.”
“ She’s resting.”
“ Has she been told?
” “ No.”
“ I’ll tell her.”
I A life gone, remembered, and celebrated.
Time passed.
Three days shy of his twenty-first birthday
Joe and Kate buried their son.
There were hundreds of people at the funeral:
Steven’s extended family,
his friends,
his girlfriend.
When he was sixteen,
Steven kissed another boy-
just to see what it was like;
he preferred girls.
He died with a Bachelor of Science degree,
three surfing trophies,
a tattoo of a tiger on his arm,
minus his appendix and tonsils.
He died with a driver’s license,
Angelina Jolie’s autograph,
(Which he got – plus a kiss on the lips! - when he was in Hollywood.)
He died with a scar on his leg
that he got that one of many times
he had played football with his brothers, Brian and Peter.
And two false front teeth because of his bad-tempered sister, Gracie
(a true story that had become more and more embellished as
it become ingrained into the children’s lore:
“ And then Gracie grabbed the hammer and WHACK!”)
Steven died with hundreds of poems- saved to his hard drive-that were really journal entries. He loved art, music, movies, and writing
But he wasn’t creative in those ways.
He was more scientifically minded,
hence the degree,
he enjoyed puns and corny old jokes.
(and practical ones too!)
II The Ocean Speaks
The funeral ended.
There was no wake.
Joe and Kate went home with their family.
That night, none of them could sleep
And they were all somehow more fully aware of the sounds of the nearby ocean.
Epilogue: Steven’s Epitaph
Here lies our son and brother, Steven
His life was short,
but it was full and it was good.
He loved and was beloved.
Rewrite
He had a Bachelor of Science degree,
three surfing trophies,
a tattoo of a tiger on his arm,
His appendix and tonsils had both been removed.
He had a driver’s license, Angelina Jolie’s autograph,
(Which he had gotten – plus a kiss on the lips! - when he was in Hollywood.)
And there was that time,that day at the beach,
when he kissed another boyjust to see what it was like;
he preferred girls.
He had a 6 inch scar on his right leg
that he had gotten that one of many times
he played football in the backyard with his brothers, Brian and Peter.
And two false front teeth because of his bad-tempered sister, Gracie
He had hundreds of poems saved to his hard drive-which were really journal entries.
He loved art, music, movies, and writing
But he wasn’t creative in those ways.
He was more scientifically minded,
hence the degree,
he enjoyed puns and corny old jokes.
His name was Stephen
and three days shy of his twenty-first birthday,
his parents, Joe and Kate,
buried him.
They had been told, by the doctors, when he was born
that he would he would die young.
After the funeral had ended.
Joe and Kate went home with their family.
That night, none of them could sleep.
And they were all somehow more aware of the sounds of the ocean.
Rewrite 2
He had a Bachelor of Science degree- marine biology,
three surfing trophies,
a tattoo of a dolphin on his left arm.
His appendix and tonsils had both been removed.
He had a 9 inch scar- that zigged and zagged up his right leg-
which he had gotten while playing frisbee
on the beach with his brothers, Brian and Peter.
An accident which involved broken glass.
And two false front teeth because of his bad-tempered sister, Gracie.
He had hundreds of poems- most of them Metaphysical
saved to his hard drive.
He loved art, music, movies, and writing.
Picasso, Donne, Punk and Jazz, Hubert Selby Jnr
But he wasn’t creative in those ways.
He was more scientifically minded, hence the degree.
He enjoyed corny old jokes.
He had a driver’s license,
and Angelina Jolie’s autograph,
Which he had gotten when he was in Hollywood.
There was a time,that day at the beach,
when he kissed another boy
just to see what it was like:he preferred girls.
"Their lips are softer"
His name was Stephen
and three days after his twenty-third birthday,
his parents, Joe and Kate,
buried him.
They had been told, by the doctors, when he was born
that he would he would die young from some genetic abnormality
that they couldn't pronounce.
The Ramones' ‘Rockaway Beach’ played through loud speakers
as his body was laid to rest.
After the funeral ended,
Joe and Kate went home with their family.
That night, none of them could sleep.
And they were all somehow more aware of the sounds of the ocean.
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