Thursday, June 8, 2017

Ship Town


En Route

I slept, mostly.  The trip taking longer than usual.  Cat scratching holes in the blanket under her crate. Tranquilizers to little effect.  Grandma swigging Pepto Bismol and turning up George Jones.  Seattle Traffic.  My teenage self waking sleepily to this new life.


Arriving

Hotel hot and stuffy.  Summer late, as usual.  Voices all night outside.  Shadows visible only by the No Vacancy sign.  Mom too worried and stressed to sleep.  Smoking Virginia Slim after Virginia Slim. 


Of the ghosts we left behind, which would meet us here?



© 2017 Jennifer Wagner

22 comments:

Wendy Bourke said...

This is so incredibly sketched - it leaves me yearning ... for THE BOOK! A lovely evocative, nuanced piece of writing, Jennifer.

Anonymous said...

A lot like Bram Stoker

grapeling said...

evocative, moody, intriguing - well done, J ~

Magyar said...

___ A punctuated Cinquain, generated by your thought-depth here, Jennifer. _m

Sleepwalk.
In my glad rags
snuggled against the noise,
I clasp what little rest there is;
call home.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Wow, you have captured every nuance of such a journey, and one does want the backstory! Nice to see you in the Pantry, Jennifer! Yay!

ayala said...

I moved to a new continent at the age of fourteen...not easy. Lovely capture.

indybev said...

Beautifully written. You left us wanting more!

ZQ said...

I cannot wait for more...
That was right on "theater"
ZQ

scotthastiepoet said...

Jennifer you writing is acute and telling... A refreshingly unique voice, dripping with style - very nice vignettes indeed that both capture and tantalise...

Mary said...

I feel as if I am right there with you. Poetically, you have shared a slice of real life in a most intriguing way.

Magaly Guerrero said...

I really like the voice. And find myself wonder what happened before, and what might happen next.

Old Egg said...

How all of us must have experience such a trip as this. Beautifully written and now I am tempted to do one myself!

Thotpurge said...

vivid scene capture and a great punch line.

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

A beautiful piece of writing. Now I crave more of the story.

Sumana Roy said...

So much visuals in every line! Really love how Time unfolds its petals.

Anonymous said...

Well written. You capture your reader's attention and keep it, along with the desire for more.

Elizabeth
https://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/burgeoning-poet-ii/

Sanaa Rizvi said...

This is so incredibly haunting! It leaves me yearning to know more and more!

Jae Rose said...

I hope it was a safe place in the end - a wonderfully evocative scene

Claudia said...

the magic of exploring new places - brings back some own memories - ha

brudberg said...

Love the sketchy images, where I also see some of my own... those no vacancy signs bring up memories from roadtrips of my own.

Buddah Moskowitz said...

I loved picturing this and the sketchy details that go with it.

janetld said...

Wonderful, Jennifer. Yes, evocative. A great read!