Tuesday, November 22, 2011

WOW - The Saddest Thing

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism.


Write On Wednesdays




Write On Wednesdays Exercise 25 - I heard a song on the radio during the week and I thought the lyrics would make an interesting prompt for WoW. So, write the words "The saddest thing I ever heard" on your page, set your timer for 5 minutes and write the first words that come into your head based on the given prompt.


"That is the saddest thing I ever heard!"

"Excuse me?"

"Seriously. It is the saddest, most pathetic thing I have EVER heard!"

"I BEG YOUR PARDON?"

"So you should! And you call yourself a health professional? You should be on your knees begging my pardon and forgiveness and hoping I damn well don't take this further! Who in the hell do you think you are other than a sad little worm of misery? Telling me it is a shame it isn't twenty years ago and we could dump him in a home and forget about him? He is a little boy. A child. Not some pet who is not up to standard, not that I would ever do that to an animal either. How dare you! How fucking DARE YOU? He is going to grow up and do incredible things, maybe not the things someone as shallow as you dream of, but his own unique, amazing, incredible things! How do you sleep at night? How do you bear to look at the thing you are in the mirror? Or have they all cracked in response to the vileness of your soul?
You know what? Screw this, I am taking this further. You should never be allowed to treat a child ever again and I intend to make sure you don't!"

Door slams and the walls shake. She scoops the smiling child from the bench outside into her strong, protective, loving arms.

"Come on sweetie, we are going home!"

 

 
 
Disclaimer: This is not what happened when I was told this by one of the first health professionals we saw with Boy 1. Yes, those were her words. This is the response I wish I had made, instead of the horrible, terrified, shocked silence I responded with. I had not yet learnt to be the warrior of his heart back then in the early days.

11 comments:

Sarah said...

Wow, that was incredibly powerful.

I don't know if it was based on a real experience but it felt like it could have been.

Having been at the receiving end of a so called ' top of their field health care professionals' dismissive attitude I could fully understand THAT reaction!

Great job!

Me said...

I don't know anything about the rules for writing - but that was amazing !!! Really good.

Have a great Wednesday !

Madmother said...

The comment was, the reaction is the one I wish I'd had.

Madmother said...

The rules are pretty flexible with stream of consciousness writing. Write prompt turn timer onto 5 minutes, vomit forth whatever words spill out and do NOT edit. Lol.

InkPaperPen said...

Wow, that WAS powerful. I sensed this was based on real life. I can not believe this was a health professionals advice? Worrying!

But I hope the exercise helped you to express some of the frustration. I love this about these exercises, they can be as much about expressing an emotion we need to get out as about the writing.

Liked the worm comment!But I also liked the close...All the anger gone, the scooping up of the child in protective arms. Satisfying.

x

mi2 said...

Ah, the game of "I wish I'd said." I still remember that smug, sanctimonious nurse who came into my room and said, "we haven't done any tests but my experience tells me he won't live and you should stop torturing himself for your benefit." I punch her often in my head, or yell. Or call her boss. Very powerful piece.

Stephanie said...

I have been in that situation before - maybe not that intense, but I do understand the rage and frustration that appears in those moments. My father passed away a few years ago, and the minute he died, they shoved my family and I out of the waiting room. The doctor told me to mourn somewhere else. I came so close to telling him to go to hell! lol
Great spin on the writing piece!

Lillie McFerrin said...

This piece is amazingly powerful! It's one of those things that every person who has dealt with prejudice and/or ignorance has felt and wante to say. Well done!

Jayne said...

Wow-that was very moving and made me very angry on you and your son's behalf. People like her are disgusting :(

Catch Up with a Mate said...

A great read....It would be great if the ' health professional' stumbled upon your piece of writing...they would benefit from this piece of writing.

Anonymous said...

good post, added you to my RSS reader.