When the gunshots were finally silenced, the toll included 16 dead, three dozen wounded, and a shaken nation left trying to understand. Using a unique blend of historical archival footage, interviews and rotoscope animation, TOWER reveals the action-packed, untold stories of the witnesses, heroes, and survivors of America’s first mass school shooting, when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others."
Years ago I studied library science at UT-Austin. Never finished since I got pregnant with Sarah. Got divorced and moved in with my parents in Huntingdon Valley PA.
The documentary was excellent. Meantime, I got dressed, went downstairs, took my morning pills - including 1 mg of Klonopin. This is the tranquilizer Dr Foxhall gave me to ride out the M R I.
Ate a Brown Cow Vanilla yogurt for breakfast.
By the time I got in Scott's car I was drowsy. Then I closed my eyes and in a second we were at the Blair Mill Campus and heading inside to register for the test.
This was not my first test but never had I been so drugged.
Reason for the M R I - very painful left leg. In 2011, same year as kidney tranplant, I had surgery to fix my herniated disk on left leg.
A very nice woman helped me at the M R I. Put my clothes in one of the locked rooms.
Then I tottered outside the room with a robe over my panties and socks. I slid inside the machine. She asked what kind of music I wanted. Classical, I said, and then the machine sucked me right inside.
Very cool.
I fell asleep immediately. She would talk to me occasionally telling me things like Two series of three minutes each.
The feared clanging was barely heard. A simple loudness touching on my back.
Once I opened my eyes to see how close the ceiling was to me.
Didn't bother me at all. A plastic white color. Then back to sleep I went.
Finally the woman, whose name I'd forgotten, told me I could get out.
You mean it's over all ready? I asked. 40 or 45 minutes, apparently.
She walked me back to my locked room, where I put on my clothes.
I walked very slowly, like a drugged woman. It was the oddest feeling. My thoughts were basically stilled.
This must be what first-time medication users feel like, I thought. Could it really be that bad?
Scott drove me home. I kept quiet. And thanked him and went right upstairs to bed.
It was 8 am. Fell right to sleep in my bed.
When I awoke, it was 3:30 pm. Missed my entire Writing Group at B's house.
I was shocked. Scott said he checked on me every half hour.
My mind was clear. I made a salad for lunch. Then went downstairs and slept until 6 pm.
Scott was restless. Wanted to do something fun. He decided we should walk at the mall.
Before we got there, we stopped at the Barnes and Noble strip mall.
We visited Home Goods, where I had bought my broken Buddha, which I spraypainted first, pink, and then, aqua.
I wanted one item and only one at Home Goods...something to hang my clothes on in my bedroom.
We roamed around and finally found it
AN EVENING WALK IN THE FALL
Scott wanted to go for a walk.
How about the stores around
Barnes and Noble?
We walked up the steps of
Home Goods, crunching on
crumpled up autumn leaves.
Inside it was bright as
a crispy fall apple.
What lovely hand towels, yellow and green,
Royal blue Uneida plates
"Please pass the corn and sweet potatoes."
How about that transparent vase
huge as a sunflower to sit by your door?
And then I saw it. Standing like a
shy maiden in the corner. A clothes
tree, only $22 and waiting for my
change of clothes from summer to fall.
***
Wrote the above poem bc all five of my poems for Monique Berry and her Halcyon were rejected. It's actually too late to submit anything, but I did so anyway.
***
Beatriz is feeling quite weak and wants to have a party while she can still appreciate it. Earlier this year we had a raise-money affair for our member Kym Cohen who put up a good battle for her several types of cancer but lost.
Once it gets you, it doesn't wanna let you go.
***
Yawning here on the Red Couch at 10:33 pm.
Stay healthy, stay relaxed, stay positive no matter what!
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