Day 2: The Queen of Pentacles

The Card

All of the Queens in a tarot deck represent really strong, powerful, fertile women aka Capital B-Bosses, but there is none more grounded or well-rounded than the Queen of Pentacles.  She's also the nicest of the Queens.  Waaaay the nicest.  I like her because she's nice AND powerful, thus proving that Good Gals can finish first or whatever.

Here's what she looks like:

Pretty and Powerful in Purple

I know, I know, you're in love with her, too.  

She's a rock'n'roller, steal your heart and bowl you over.

The Process

 
Today, I wrote my play on the subway - something that I really enjoy doing.  See, I live out on the edge of Brooklyn, a place that may as well be Staten Island, and it takes me forever and a day (which comes out to roughly an hour) to get anywhere in Manhattan by train.  So I've learned to make the best of it by taking out my little huge notebook, ignoring the crazy people and screaming babies and writing in my special, microscopic way:

Makes sense to me!

There's something peaceful, writing in the subway.  Ignoring the whole world while I write, piecing together dialogue like a puzzle, sewing together a world like a mystery.  

There's no where better to feel alone than on a crowded subway.

Because the Queen of Pentacles is so in tune with nature, she's also oftentimes related to pregnancy.  Now, I don't know if you know this about me negative one person reading, but I'm a little obsessed with Snow White.  So in a really unelegant segway, Imma tell you that I wrote my play about Snow White's mother, talking to her maid, making the decision to live through her pregnancy even though that would mean her dying.

Because that's what happens in the story.

Should I have said Spoiler Alert?

I have Mommy Issues!

An Excerpt:

 

MILLIE

Not feeling well, are we?  Sometimes that happens, even late in the game.  I’ll make you some lemon water, put some pumpkin seeds inside.  Opens up the stomach

RAIN

Heavy

MILLIE

I know, I heard you the first-

RAIN

I feel so heavy.  Like my heart is made of lead.  Like it’s going to rip a hole right through my body, right in between my breasts.

A hole like a fist.

MILLIE

That’s not going to happen

RAIN

You don’t know that

MILLIE

Hell if I don’t, your heart is warm and soft, m’lady, and not a better one has ever beat inside a woman’s body.

RAIN

I wonder what it will feel like to die

If I will feel my soul leave and flutter away…

MILLIE

What has gotten into your head today?

RAIN

It’s not my head, my head feels fine.

It’s my heart.

My heart.

MILLIE

You gotta be cheerful, else the babe’ll come out dark as a raincloud

RAIN

She won’t.  She’ll come out smiling.  Happy. 

The birds shall flock to her and whistle her songs.

She will be as protected as she will be harmed.

And she shall be the fairest of them all.

MILLIE

How do you know all that?  You heard a prophecy diddling on the wind or some such nonsense as that?

RAIN

My heart tells me the prophecy.  Beating like a brick inside of me.  Walls watching me, whispering silent secrets that itch my eyes.

My little girl will kill me.

MILLIE

No ma’am

RAIN

She will slide out of me, pulling my heart with her.

[The window opens with a start, scares MILLIE.  RAIN walks to the window, puts her hand out and a bird lights on it.  She pets it]

Stats:

Play 02

4 pages

2 characters

2 women 

In conclusion:

I'm basically using this month to just produce ideas.  Lots and lots of ideas.  I'm not worried about perfect or even decent writing, I'm more concerned with that idea that makes my fingers tingle and my toes wiggle with anticipation of giving it life.  Of experimenting with language, with form, with topics that scare and daze me.  And to just write for the pure fun of it all.  Too often that gets wiped from the equation as you stare into the depths of your messy play, a pile of rejections to your right and an earful of self-imposed negativity to your left.  Now's the time to have fun.

I give myself permission to have fun.