Random pullings from Nadine Gordimer's Jump: And Other Stories
A fancy collar by which she held him. They had missed, then, the free lunch? Then meteorologists of the country to which it had been given are subject to the same pests the original inhabitatnts suffered. We cleaned the streets and dug dams and begged while they ate, while they took the dog for his walk. The pathetic little bent legs had never been used. Their tongues lie exposed, the edges rucked up on either side, like red cloth, by long white incisors. They are dirtied with blood and to human eyes are de-sexed, I dont want to look like a skollie. A stopping man in pyjama trousers and a pullover, she wore T-shirts with spangled graffiti across her breasts. Drinking beer shandies. At the station the gypsies are singing in the bar. Under the jacaranda trees, the trusted housemaid said these were tsotsis, we ran away from them like chickens chased by dogs.
She held him by collar, they missed
the free lunch again, while the meteor-
ologists look like skollies, pests of
dug dams. Bent legs and exposed incisors,
dirtied with de-sexing, eyes pyjama
trousers drinking beer shandies on top
a girls spangled graffiti breasts. Gypsies
sing at the corner 411 under jarcaranda's:
'These tsotsis' bark like dogs....
Chicken,
Chicken,
Chicken.'
Calisthenics are great outlets for an initial brainstorm. I love how words from completely different passages, about completely different topics can come together, with some tweaking of course. You managed to pull some interesting language that has so much potential. I especially liked the line: “Under the jacaranda trees, the trusted housemaid said these were tsotsis”. This specific line reminded me of a book entitled: In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. The jacaranda tree was useful for many things such as shade in the summer heat, hiding at night, and a great place to tell secrets. If you are interested, as expansion of this line and the background of this particular tree could make for an interesting piece. I liked the chopped sentences; it brings about that “less is more” approach. I also liked the repetition of “Chicken”; however, I suggest tweaking it with punctuation: Chicken? Chicken. Chicken! It gives the language character.
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