#SOL21 | 17 | Sideways into Writing

Today's slice was the culmination of a few challenges.  And so I want to preface this by mentioning those challenges that led to the creation of the piece I'm about to share.

First, it was yesterday's #10min10days challenge with Tammy B.  The prompt was to write for 10 minutes starting with the phrase "Right now..." and then look back at what you wrote and look for sparks.  My writing happened outside on my patio and focused on the usual sights and sounds with the occasional intrusive thought.  And then, source unseen, I picked up on the smell of cigarette smoke.  

As soon as I smelled it I was reminded of my Grandma Sug and I wrote about how I hadn't actually sliced about her before.  By now I've written plenty of slices about both of my mom's parents, but not my dad's and definitely not my Grandma Sug.  That was interesting to me, but at the time I just let it sit in my notebook.

And then today I visited EthicalELA's final Open Write invitation for the month I saw that the prompt was Backwards Poetry.  Katrina Morison provided examples there, but then also suggested when trying this form of poetry to "...take on change. Deal with something that is or needs to be turned around. Then, the form will truly reflect the content of the poem."  The aspect of "change" really struck me and after having written about my Grandma Sug yesterday. I decided to not only write a poem about her, but also dedicate this slice to her as well.

It was after I had written the poem that I realized it could also serve as a slice -- but I didn't want to just post the poem without some context and backstory.  Which brings us here and now to today's SOL post.  That's three challenges woven together for one blog post.  Pretty impressive I would say.

A World Sideways with Grief

(A poem to be read right to left)

expected was It
.unexpected and

.cancer had she knew We
.time had we thought We
.gone was she and blinked We

,teenager a quite wasn’t I
.weight this for enough old but

.again her see never I’d knew I
.okay doing was I thought I
.fell tears the and blinked I

because in it hold to able wasn’t I
.loss with experience first my was she

.heartbreak the remember I
.visit graveside the refusing remember I
.love surrounding remember I mostly But

:remains what is that later years 20 Unexpectedly
.love, remembering, blinking, thinking, knowledge

---

I hope to write more about my Grandma Sug in the future.  Although after writing this I realize that many of my memories of her are faded with time, so I might need to chat with my dad first.  Either way, I hope you've enjoyed and I love that I've been able to weave together so many challenges for one piece of writing.

This post is part of the 14th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge.  

#SOL21 and information around Slicing can be found on Two Writing Teachers.