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Hair Is, Uh, Magic.

21 February 2009 - 11:39pm — Harl Delos


A woman's hair is magic.

Take, for instance, the 20-year-old Kansas City woman, in a convenience store parking lot late Wednesday. A man flagged her down and told her that her ex-boyfriend still loved her.

"Well, I don

Comments

25 February 2009 - 5:21am — zcs

modern day literature

Your prose stings. Bittersweet is all I can call it. I'm very sorry you lost your first wife, very happy you've found something new. You've transcribed emotions I never thought could accurately hit paper. Dig into adult emotion. Write the next great novel.

zcs

26 February 2009 - 5:15pm — Harl Delos

Thanks

I'm not sorry I lost my first wife; you can only lose something if you have it already.

Novel? I think not. I'm not very good at fiction.

And fiction is, by definition, lies. I have too many true stories accumulated over the years, that need to be told.

26 February 2009 - 6:07pm — solarfarmmom

Perhaps a novel idea...

After all. Nonfiction about life on an American farm? I know my children would love to hear about it (you'd have to keep it clean though. No half naked pictures of women!!)

27 February 2009 - 2:35pm — Harl Delos

I'll make sure all the

I'll make sure all the half-nekkid women are freshly-bathed, Kristin, rather than dirty.

A good story is founded in conflict. I don't have a repository of Raggedy Ann and Andy stories. They're more like the story of the wonderful tar baby, or about Huck Finn stealing and freeing a slave, and then getting nearly killed in the cavern.

I was assaulted just before I was five. I didn't figure out who was in the group that did it until I was much older, but one of them was a deputy sheriff who assaulted a preteen girl and killed her when I was nine. It was when I realized that the guy had new seat covers in his old car that it prodded my memory. It didn't do any good; the Sheriff acknowledged that yes, he know the deputy did it, but he couldn't prove it.

But not only did he not arrest the SOB, but the guy didn't even lose an hour of pay.

As an adult, I wanted to dig up the deputy's grave, and pummel his corpse into mush and dust, but I realized that considering what he did to a preteen girl, and what he did to a preschooler boy, his own daughter probably had been a victim, too. It really POed me that I couldn't do anything to him without greatly hurting another victim.

But can I tell that story here? I've just gone into more detail than my stomach is comfortable with.

I don't want to hurt your kids, Kristin, but it's not a Raggedy Ann and Andy world, and I'm not sure lying to them by pretending otherwise is a good idea.

But naked women? C'mon. There are many evil things in this world. Nudity is not evil. We were made in God's image.

27 February 2009 - 6:46pm — solarfarmmom

Oh come, now...

I'm no prude. My kids have seen each other born, parents and each other nekkid, etc. We talk about phony boobs, immodest clothing and the frivolousness of it all. It's provocative I prefer to stay away from. I had a different life when I was younger. I know much about these sorts of things. Besides, I prefer the "subtle", Jane Austen/Bronte Sisters sort of nekkid. Implied, not explicit.

We don't hide reality from the kids at all. I've been counseling an acquaintance of late. Her hubby likes to hit her. Last time, he pulled a gun. They have children. We have a small house, basically one big room. I consult with my husband about such things. The kids hear much of this. We explain to them that this happens, that it is never acceptable, that it should be punished. They've been told there are some bad people out there that like to do bad things to kids. We teach them to defend themselves. We don't hide the reality of violence, of death from them. But what we do teach them is truth so they are not shocked as they get older. Here a little, there a little. This is just part of it.

You've got loads of memories, good and not-so-good, from your childhood. My children do too. I've enjoyed the little bits you have shared. I'm certain many people would, even the bad stuff. You do write in an very engaging and interesting style. So perhaps you write for adults. My children will be ready in about 10 years. That'll give you some time.

Time to milk the cows!!