Junky Graffiti (a short story REVISED)

She would drive home through a toxic twist of turns. Unsure of whether the fog was coming from her mind or the road, she would finally arrive at the Dove family house on Patterson Street. She tried her best to keep her membership a secret. Sitting there smothered by a fossil of problems, she knew what await her once she stepped outside of her car.
Every night, Lily stood outside her car and stare at the infinite piles of dog shit that surrounded the vehicle. “It’s my fucking step mom, I know it, I know it!” she would say. Lily’s only suspect to blame for this new encounter of steamy welcomes was her stepmother Gretchen. Gretchen and Lily got along great.
Gretchen was an elderly old southern bell. She wore glasses that were a 1950s style with over-sized, red plastic rims across the top. The exaggerated rims looked like a rusty butterfly with black spots. They blocked her wrinkled and craggy face. Very unlike her stepmother, Lily saw the world through scabby telescopes. At the expense of what Gretchen called her “huffie puffies”, Lily’s hair color changed twice a weak from mellow yellow to turtle green, and ruby red. Gretchen could only see in two colors; the first was white, and the second was whiter. But racist pigs were not the concerning issue-at-hand with Lily. She just wanted her stepmother to stop walking the dogs near her car.
Apparently, Gretchen got pissed at Lily when she started parking her car in the driveway, unlike her usual spot in the street. Gretchen was old and couldn’t really drive that well, and when she needed to back out of the driveway in the morning for work, well she had a little trouble. Lily felt there was plenty of room for her to park in the driveway. So Gretchen’s solution, instead of practicing mother to stepdaughter futility, she would every night before bed, take the two family dogs to relieve themselves in the little grass yard besides Lily’s car, hoping her stepdaughter would give up and stumble her car back to the street.
Gretchen would just say something very dainty, “Good Heavens, I haven’t the slightest clue, and Lily, stop saying ‘shit’, say ‘poo’. It’s more polite.” To this day, Lily wonders where the extension chord is to plug-in Gretchen. This problem could have been easily solved by Lily parking in the garage, and Gretchen in the driveway. However, stubbornness was seen as a positive character trait for the Dove family. Lily hated being in the street, and Gretchen wanted the garage because she was certain her car would get stolen if parked in the driveway. So on and on, every night Lily would tiptoe over landmines, and every morning, Gretchen would slowly and gracefully, monster truck her way over the driveway, wondering each and every time if she would make it to the street.
Her first attempt was somewhat of a miss. She could have been backing out of an airplane hanger, and it still wouldn’t have made a difference. Gretchen’s stale green hunk of metal that floated on water had this silver bumper that stuck out along the nose of the car. The rusty and faded bumper, jagged around the sides, knew well of Gretchen’s driving record, and sweated every time it heard the engine spark. During her first effort, Gretchen slowly and delicately steered this hang tooth bumper, which just happened to latch onto a two week old garbage bag that Lily never took out, which resulted in Lily’s car receiving a sponge bath in rubbish that morning. Gretchen really couldn’t see that well, so she didn’t notice anything, and well, she struggled with hearing things too, so the clank-scrap-rip across the side of Lily’s car went unnoticed as well. She drove her whole way to work with a trash bag on her bumper. Little kids on school buses giggled towards their education that morning, sailing next to a green boat, and Captain Gretchen S. Dove spreading her junky graffiti across the roadway.
“So not only do I have to deal with dog shit at my feet every time I get out of my car, I also have to worry about used diapers stuck to my tire? You know how embarrassing that is?” Lily belched.
“If you would have taken out the trash like I asked you wouldn’t be crying,” Gretchen defended. “A little grease for your elbow wouldn’t hurt ya’ know?”
“No, now my entire body is greasy thanks to Miss Skippidy-Do-Da,” Lily whined. “I’m gonna go shower in bleach. Thanks. Oh, I heard BFI is hiring by the way, just thought, you might want to apply.”
The next night, Lily hazed home sliding through turns and weaves preparing for an unpleasant walk from her car to the house. During her drive, she stumbled across the idea of parking on the right side of the driveway. This, in her mind, would take care of the landmines, and hopefully free her car from anything that latched onto Gretchen’s bumper. Not the worst of ideas, a noble effort of sorts. She just looked over one small detail. Gretchen’s right eye had a very skewed peripheral ability. That next morning, Gretchen opened the garage door and peered happily out. “She finally wised up and parked in the street,” she muttered to herself. With no obstacles in sight, Gretchen with a new confidence, decided to back out a little faster then normal. The two cars fused and flushed together for three feet before she felt the resistance. This time, Gretchen heard what became of the clank-scrap-rip, which really was just one long SKRIEK, which awoke the neighborhood that morning.
Lily slowly stumbled outside in crabby pajamas rubbing her eyes against the first images of the day.
“Please tell me this is a nightmare.” She moaned.
Gretchen desperately squeaked, “You know my right eye is lame, how was I to know you parked on the right side of the driveway when you normally park on the left?”
“Whatever, you’re paying for this.” Lily said turning towards the house realizing that the two hours she could normally be sleeping in for, would be spent plotting her stepmother’s demise.
The next night came upon them. Lily spent the whole day brainstorming on how to get back at her stepmother. This was the night. Focused and calm, Lily drove home impatiently through twirls of clarity. She was alert and determined, and the only thing in sight was her destination. Arriving home, Lily parked in the middle of the driveway, knowing all well that Gretchen would not be backing out the next morning. She spent the next half hour unplugging her stepmothers car battery, releasing all the air in her tires, and hiding Gretchen’s keys in the one place she knew she wouldn’t find them, her trunk. Lily fell asleep that night with a smile, not caring what was to come that morning, because she knew that her car was safe and sound from Gretchen’s monster boat.
The next morning Gretchen came across the sabotage left for her from the night before. Not even bothering looking for her keys, she left a note on the table for Lily to find when she awoke. It read:
Dear Lily,
I needed a car for work so I borrowed yours!
Love,
Gretchen
Lily came across the letter that morning, and was so angry, she decided to skip school and wait for her stepmother. Gretchen arrived home early from work to find Lily sitting by the door.
“Was that a taxi that dropped you off?” Lilly asked.
“Well, we need to have a talk dear.” Gretchen said.
“Where the fuck is my car?” Lilly screamed.
“Honey, what did I tell you about that word?” Gretchen hesitated.
“The only thing you need to be telling me is where my fucking car is.” She ruptured.
“Well, I was on my way to work, just putting along, and this cop car came out of no where, and I sorta got in a little fender bender.” Gretchen revealed.
“You hit a cop?” she asked.
“Sort of, but don’t worry, your car is fine, it was the officers car that got damaged. I swore I thought the light was green, it looked green, but you know me and my vision,” she explained. “Well, ultimately, because I’m not insured on your car, and it’s registered to you, they had to tow it. I swear it wasn’t my fault.”
Gretchen swears to this day she saw Lily’s eyes do a three sixty inside her sockets. Lily unable to drive anywhere spent the rest of the day and night locked in her room. Every time Gretchen knocked on her door, Lily screamed for her to go away.
The next morning came, and with no vehicle for Gretchen to go to work, and no vehicle for Lily to go to school, the Doves boarded the crowded city bus. There were only two seats left, and to Lily’s disappointment, they were right next to each other. They plopped down on the hard plastic and waited for the sudden jolt for the public transit system to begin. They were quiet most of the time. Gretchen would go to open her mouth and Lily would dramatically throw her hands in the air saying, “Don’t talk to me!” Gretchen gave up and spent the rest of the time with her eyes shut. When it came time for Lily to get off the bus, Gretchen felt a grueling stare from her stepdaughter. “Thanks for being a true asshole,” Lilly said.
Gretchen’s simple response was, “Hey. This is a world of sticks and stones!”
Lily sighed, “Yeah, but you are the only one who doesn’t feel broken bones.”
Gretchen frowned. “I’m sorry,” she said as Lily exited the bus.
For two-weeks, the two sat next to each other on the city bus. When they did finally get their vehicles back, Lilly ended parked in the street, and Gretchen spent forty-five minutes picking up dog shit.

It's been awhile

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but below is a short story I'm working on for my creative writing class, it's a rough draft. Let me know what you think.

Much love,
Joe Wilbert

Junky Graffiti (a short story)

She would drive home through a toxic twist of turns. Unsure of whether the fog was coming from her mind or the road, she would finally arrive at what little she could call home. Sitting there smothered by a fossil of problems, she knew what await her once she stepped outside of her car.
Every night, Lily would stand outside her car and stare at the infinite piles of dog shit that surrounded the vehicle. “It’s my fucking step mom, I know it, I know it!” she would say. Lily’s only suspect to blame for this new encounter of steamy welcomes was her stepmother Gretchen. Gretchen and Lily got along great.
Apparently, Gretchen got pissed at Lily when she started parking her car in the driveway, unlike her usual spot in the street. Gretchen was old and couldn’t really drive that well, and when she needed to back out of the driveway in the morning for work, well she had a little trouble. Lily felt there was plenty of room for her to park in the driveway. So Gretchen’s solution, instead of practicing mother to stepdaughter futility, she would every night before bed, take the two family dogs to relieve themselves in the little grass yard besides Lily’s car, hoping her stepdaughter would loose all hope.
Gretchen would just say something very dainty, “Good Heavens, I haven’t the slightest clue, and Lily, stop saying ‘shit’, say ‘poo’.” To this day, Lily wonders where the extension chord is to plug Gretchen in. This problem could have been easily solved by Lily parking in the garage, and Gretchen in the driveway. However, stubbornness was seen as a positive character trait for the Dove family. Lily hated being in the street, and Gretchen wanted the garage because she was certain her car would get stolen if parked in the driveway. So on and on, every night Lily would tiptoe over landmines, and every morning, Gretchen would slowly and gracefully, monster truck her way over the driveway, wondering each and every time if she would make it to the street.
Her first attempt was somewhat of a miss. She could have been backing out of an airplane hanger, and it still wouldn’t have made a difference. Gretchen’s stale green hunk of metal that could have floated on water had this silver bumper that stuck out along the nose of the car. The rusty and faded bumper, jagged around the sides, knew well of Gretchen’s driving record, and sweated every time the engine sparked. During her first effort, Gretchen slowly and delicately steered this hang tooth bumper, which just happened to latch onto a two week old garbage bag that Lily never took out, which resulted in Lily’s car receiving a sponge bath in rubbish that morning. Gretchen really couldn’t see that well, so she didn’t notice anything, and well, she struggled with hearing things too, so the clank-scrap-rip across the side of Lily’s car went unnoticed as well. She drove her whole way to work with a trash bag on her bumper. Little kids on school buses giggled towards their education that morning, sailing next to a green boat, and Captain Gretchen S. Dove spreading her junky graffiti across the roadway.
“So not only do I have to deal with dog shit at my feet every time I get out of my car, I also have to worry about used diapers stuck to my tire? You know how embarrassing that is?” Lily belched.
“If you would have taken out the trash like I asked you wouldn’t be crying,” Gretchen defended. “A little grease for your elbow wouldn’t hurt ya’ know?”
“No, now my entire body is greasy thanks to Miss Skippidy-Do-Da,” Lily whined. “I’m gonna go shower in bleach. Thanks. Oh, I heard BFI is hiring by the way, just thought, you might want to apply.”
The next night, Lily hazed home sliding through turns and weaves preparing for an unpleasant walk from her car to the house. During her drive, she stumbled across the idea of parking on the right side of the driveway. This, in her mind, would take care of the landmines, and hopefully free her car from anything that latched onto Gretchen’s bumper. Not the worst of ideas, a noble effort of sorts. She just looked over one small detail. Gretchen’s right eye had a very skewed peripheral ability. That next morning, Gretchen opened the garage door and peered happily out. “She finally wised up and parked in the street,” she muttered to herself. With no obstacles in sight, Gretchen with a new confidence, decided to back out a little faster then normal. The two cars fused and flushed together for three feet before she felt the resistance. This time, Gretchen heard what became of the clank-scrap-rip, which really was just one long SKRIEK, which awoke the neighborhood that morning.
Lily slowly stumbled outside in crabby pajamas rubbing her eyes against the first images of the day.
“Please tell me this is a nightmare.” She moaned.
Gretchen desperately squeaked, “You know my right eye is lame, how was I to know you parked on the right side of the driveway when you normally park on the left?”
“Whatever, you’re paying for this.” Lily said turning towards the house realizing that the two hours she could normally be sleeping in for, would be spent plotting her stepmother’s demise.
The next night came upon them. Lily spent the whole day brainstorming on how to get back at her stepmother. This was the night. Focused and calm, Lily drove home impatiently through twirls of clarity. She was alert and determined, and the only thing in sight was her destination. Arriving home, Lily parked in the middle of the driveway, knowing all well that Gretchen would not be backing the next morning. She spent the next half hour unplugging her stepmothers car battery, releasing all the air in her tires, and hiding Gretchen’s keys in the one place she knew she wouldn’t find them, her trunk. Lily fell asleep that night with a smile, not caring what was to come that morning, because she knew that her car was safe and sound from Gretchen’s monster boat.
The next morning Gretchen came across the sabotage left for her from the night before. Not even bothering looking for her keys, she left a note on the table for Lily to find when she awoke. It read:
Dear Lily,
I needed a car for work so I borrowed yours!
Love,
Gretchen
Lily came across the letter that morning, and was so angry, she decided to skip school and wait for stepmother. Gretchen arrived home early from work to find Lily sitting by the door.
“Was that a taxi that dropped you off?” Lilly asked.
“Well, we need to have a talk dear.” Gretchen said.
“Where the fuck is my car?” Lilly screamed.
“Honey, what did I tell you about word?” Gretchen hesitated.
“The only thing you need to be telling me is where my fucking car is.” She said.
“Well, I was on my way to work, just putting along, and this cop car came out of no where, and I sorta got in a little fender bender.” Gretchen revealed.
“You hit a cop?” she asked.
“Sort of, but don’t worry, your car is fine, it was the officers car that got damaged. I swore I thought the light was green, it looked green, but you know me and my vision,” she explained. “Well, ultimately, because I’m not insured on your car, and it’s registered to you, they had to tow it. I swear it wasn’t my fault.”
Gretchen swears to this day she saw Lily’s eyes do a three sixty inside her sockets. Lily unable to drive anywhere spent the rest of the day and night locked in her room. Every time Gretchen knocked on her door, Lily screamed for her to go away.
The next morning came, and with no transportation to work or school, the Doves boarded the crowded city bus. There were only two seats left, and to much of Lily’s disappointment, they were right next to each other. Gretchen would go to open her mouth and Lily would dramatically throw her hands in the air saying, “Don’t talk to me!” Gretchen gave up and sat there quietly for the rest of the bus ride. When it came time for Lily to get off the bus, she stared at Gretchen for thirty seconds before saying, “Thanks for being a true asshole.”
Gretchen’s simple response was, “This is a world of sticks and stones!”
Lily sighed, “Yeah, but you are the only one who doesn’t feel broken bones.”
Gretchen frowned, “I’m sorry.”
For three weeks, the two sat next to each other on the city bus. When they did finally get their vehicles back, Lilly parked in the street, and Gretchen spent forty-five minutes picking up dog shit.

My Own Book of Blues

This next post needs to be slightly prefaced. All of the writings I am posting were created during a short period while I was in Chicago. I have written more like them but these all sort of go together. It was a quiet time and I was really falling in love with the city. It was about this time that I discovered a lot of passion in the small things that I did and created.

The writings were an experiment that I did for myself. I wrote them based on a simple form that Jack Kerouac sort of created. There are several pieces all broken down into short segments. To help explain it better, here is a quote from Jack Kerouac in his poetry compilation 'Book of Blues':

"In my system, the form of blues choruses is limited by the small page of the breastpocket notebook in which they are written, like the form of a set number of bars in a jazz blues chorus, and so sometimes the word-meaning can carry from one chorus into another, or not, just like the phrase-meaning can carry harmonically from one chorus to the other, or not, in jazz, so that, in these blues as in jazz, the form is determined by time, and by the musician's spontaneous phrasing & harmonizing with the beat of the time as it waves & waves on by in measured choruses.
It's all gotta be non stop ad libbing within each chorus, or the gig is shot."

With that said, here is a taste of my attempt at Jack Kerouac's 'blues choruses'.

*****

The words are there,
but no one can see,
If they are only
in my head,
Are they
still
words -
Still thoughts?
or just emotions -

meaning?
Full or Less
Circle one, then
let me in on it.

*****

If time is so
precious then
why do we waste
it with our "breast
pocket notebooks"?
Why here - or on
that sheet there.
Turn me over and
waste here!
Atleast here will
live forever when
Time is wasted.
Time is here -
not yet wasted.

*****

To where will you
go?
When I leave -
where will
I go?
Why do I have
to have a clue
-O-
To what reasoning
is there that
I should know
Cabins, woods, dreams,
and rivers -
I shall take a
bus -
From coast to coast
I can place my
name on any
mail box.
I can sit in a
recliner and
get
-HI-
Watch time go
by - High and
Time go -
Where will I end
up? It's
as much
your clue
as it is mine.
g
u
ess
Because that is
where I will
be - Carmen
S a n d i e g o
That is where I
will be -
-O-
That is where
I WILL
BE
That is what I Love.

*****

Where am I now -
Chicago, well
not this second.
10
thousand miles
above the ground -
Airplanes
Flying or soaring
or
drifting in the air -
Ro ck et -
ing
and bringing a child's
imagination to life.

*****

honk honk
vezooonm -
screeching tires
but no end - no
bang. no
BANG. NO
in Chicago -
no pickup
or call in - bumper
to bumper but never
bumper
in
bumper

*****

My heart over
a sunset
R
i
s
ing to show
me how beautiful the
world is
How peaceful the
r
o l
W d is

My heart is here.

*****

My loves find
inspiration in Chicago.
Chicago finds
inspiration in
M E.
This is why I
love this city.

And why I don't
want to leave -
but I'm sorry -

The wind
The wind -
It goes West to East
West
to
East

But my love for
home will only take
me so far -
it will take
me West to East -

to O O
hi

to where I was
born, but that
isn't
enough - I read
and see a
place I love -
I drive to smell

it's air - passed
over the ocean.

The sweet smell
of land - and
salt
WA TER.
The water oooo
the Water of
California - or
San cisco -
Fran
where will I end -

I don't know -

I've never seen
Port LAND

But I hope to -
I dream to.

I have smelled a
beauty and I can
NOT
deprive myself
of that beauty - of
that sun
rise and Fall -

The sunset over
the ocean -
It wouldn't be
F A
I R to me.
To us.

But I may extend
my boundaries . . .

Boundaries beyond
our National
Bor
d
e
r
s.

Who knows.

I love where
I am -
And I know I'll
Love where
I will be.

This is not good-
bye
B
Y
E - just see
you Later.
The point is
Chicago - I have
to
Chica GO