A Writing Assignment

I was cleaning up some files on my laptop and came across this assignment from an online writing class I took about a year and a half ago. We had a two part assignment: we were to write about what we remembered and what we didn't remember. It was a free form exercise. We weren't supposed to worry about punctuation or spelling, just let our minds prompt our fingers as we typed. I thought you might find it interesting to see my mind at work....oh boy.

I REMEMBER
It's funny that the assignment is called "I Remember" because it is a family joke that my memory is so poor. I have a hard time remembering things from years ago and from seconds ago. Memory just isn't my strong suit. things that trigger memories for me are smells and sounds. i can smell a certain kind of perfume and think about a first boyfriend. i can hear someone's voice and think that they sound like someone from my past. I remember being at Nanny and Poppa's and lounging on that chaise in the back bedroom. I loved that so many of us slept in one room. I remember sleeping out in the yard when it was hot. I remember the stemmed glasses with the circles etched in them and those awful metal glasses that made anything you drank taste like metal. i remember going to the pump and pumping water. i remember sitting on the tractor in a big cow pie. i remember playing slapjack with Nanny and thinking that we were so daring. I remember getting that cool blue dress at Christmas that had the hat and pink polka dot tie. i remember playing with cousins in the yard around the old tree with red paint. i remember the pretend horse that was really just a big stump with a saddle on it. i remember riding the runaway pony and ending up on the porch. I remember locking a couple of boys in the outhouse and laughing as we ran away. I remember the spot on the rug where Poppa poured the Vitalis into his hands and slicked down his hair. I remember. Hey, I remember!

I DON'T REMEMBER

I don't remember that we lived with Nanny and Poppa one summer but everyone says we did. I don't remember grandpa jernigan. I don't remember christmas time until we were living in Idaho. i don't remember anything about the kitchen or living room in our house behind the church on Frank street. i don't remember how can you write what you don't remember i don't remember it so i can't write it i don't remember the names of most of the people i went to church with at clovis i don't remember much about being pregnant with Blair i don't remember planning my wedding i don't remember celebrating anniversaries in the first 20 years or so of our marriage i don't remember ever hugging Uncle raymond or Uncle Palmer but I remember hugging uncle joe and uncle beryl. i don't remember when dennis and i decided we were going to get married because it was never asked and answered.