What I Needed to Say v.3

Courage

Her silky sweet eyes
consume my conscious
and there is nothing else

--laugHing
------Eating
---- dRinking

----slEeping
--plaYing
----rEading
-----Sitting

as my courage grows
the distance between us shrinks

twenty------------------------------feet
----------ten----------------------- feet
------------------six----------------feet
--------------------------three----- feet

anxiety pulses through my veins as my
brain ignites and dissolves to a soupy liquid
stomach rolls off a cliff and gravity sends it plummeting
legs that brought me here crumble beneath me

my body shuts down until
all I can do is look into
her silky sweet eyes

and say those
three little words
I had been meaning to say all along

What’s your name?

55 Word Short-Story v.3

The Carnivore
The blade hacks through muscles, tendons, even bones with sickening precision. With each deft swipe, flesh is torn from flesh, until all that’s left is a barren carcass. He picks up a tiny morsel, turns it over in his calloused hands, and pops it into his mouth. He savors every second before yelling, “Dinner’s ready!”

What I needed to say V.2

Her silky sweet eyes
consume my conscious
and there is nothing else

--laugHing
-------Eating
---- dRinking

----slEeping
--plaYing
----rEading
-----Sitting

I know I have to do it

synapses fire
muscles twitch
legs move

and the distance between us shrinks

twenty------------------------------feet
----------ten----------------------- feet
------------------six----------------feet
--------------------------three----- feet

brain ignites and dissolves to a soupy liquid
stomach rolls off a cliff and begins free fall
legs that brought me here threaten to collapse

Just do it.

I open my mouth and those
three little words
carve the silence

What’s your name?

What if? V.3

That incredibly familiar yet
intensely satisfying smell
inundates my nostrils

The smell of hope and expectation, of
goals and glory, of
passion and promise, of
Spring

And of baseball.

It’s the game that I love, the same
rugged brown dirt that tears knees to a pulp, the same
plush green grass that makes mothers cringe with every dive, the same
sunflower seeds that flutter gracefully to the earth between every pitch, the same
pleasure

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaBut something’s different
aaaA new
aaaaaaaaafieldaaaaaaaa coach aaaaaaaaaaaaaaateam
chance

One chance.

Now I’m a policeman
patrolling centerfield
trying to catch a five-ounce needle
in a thousand square foot haystack

I’ve done this before, but the
pressure…

CRACK!

A tiny missile soars through the perfectly blue sky
trying to land gently in that great mass of green
and I’m the only one who can intercept it

But it’s too far…

I leap
eyes focus
muscles strain
tendons stretch

Leather greets leather and the ball
drops

A Time My World Changed Poem v. 2

What if?

That incredibly familiar yet
intensely satisfying smell
inundates my nostrils

Spring

It’s the game that I love, the same
brown dirt, the same
plush grass, the same
sunflower seeds, the same
pleasure

But something’s different
A new
field, coach, team
chance

My eyes fix on the pitch…
CRACK

My heart leaps
adrenaline floods my body
and my legs churn

I’m a policeman
patrolling centerfield
trying to catch a five-ounce needle
in a thousand square foot haystack

I’ve done this before, but the
pressure
I am Atlas, holding the weight of the world on my shoulders

Well… at least the weight of my world

It’s too far
I leap
muscles strain
tendons stretch

Leather hits leather and the ball
drops

Version 1.5

Science Fair

[WILL and STEVE are in WILL’S room. WILL is sitting on his bed and STEVE is sitting in a chair. Under STEVE is a notebook. They are watching T.V.; an episode of “Family Guy” is just ending. There is an empty desk in the corner of the room.]

WILL
[Still looking at the T.V.]
Whaddya wanna do?

STEVE
We should rehearse our presentation before the fair.

WILL
[Looking toward the desk]
Where’s the notebook?

STEVE
[Looking toward Will]
Where did you leave it?

WILL
[Getting up and looking around]
Where I always do.

STEVE
Which is…

WILL
[Picking up pillows off his bed and throwing them on the floor]
On my desk.

STEVE
[Still sitting]
Well obviously you didn’t cuz it isn’t there.

WILL
Thanks captain obvious.

STEVE
[Sarcastically]
No problem.

WILL
The science fair starts in two hours.

STEVE
Yeah…

WILL
So we should probably find it.

STEVE
You probably shouldn’t have lost it.

[There is a short pause while WILL continues to look around for the notebook.]

WILL
[Stops looking around]
Are you gonna help me look or what?

STEVE
[Still sitting]
I’m not the one who lost it. It’s not my fault.

WILL
Well then enjoy failing.

STEVE
I’m not about to fail because you are about as responsible as a kid in a candy store and lose everything.

WILL
Oh lose everything huh? Like this one thing.

STEVE
Yes like this. And like my Power Rangers action figure in…

WILL
[Slightly louder]
How many times do I have to tell you! I never lost your stupid Power Ranger!

STEVE
Bull****. I know you took it.

WILL
Well how ‘bout the time I told you that I liked Kim and you decided to open your big fat mouth and tell everyone?

STEVE
Are you ever gonna let that go? She didn’t even like you.

WILL
You don’t know that!

STEVE
Yeah I do. The only girl who has ever liked you is your mother.

WILL
[Enraged, nearly shouting]
Well your mom’s an obese crack addict.

STEVE
[Disbelief]
What did you just say?

WILL
[Deliberately]
Your… mother… is… an… obese… crack… addict.

STEVE
[Shocked, pausing between each word]
You… take… that… back.

WILL
Make me.

[STEVE lunges out of the chair toward WILL and knocks him onto the bed. They wrestle for about five seconds. WILL is lying on his stomach and STEVE jumps on his back and pulls his hair back.]

STEVE
Bug-nosed pincushion!

[WILL reverses and puts STEVE in a headlock.]

WILL
Cotton-headed ninnymuggins!

[Another reversal]

STEVE
Pizza-faced momma’s boy!

WILL
Dirt-bag rat!

[STEVE starts to give WILL a wedgie. WILL yelps with pain.]

WILL
Oww! You smelly grease-monkey!

[STEVE starts chuckling and his grip loosens slightly.]

WILL
[Surprised, quizzical]
What?

[STEVE starts laughing harder.]

WILL
What’s so funny?

[STEVE continues laughing.]

WILL
Steve!

STEVE
[Still laughing and still holding a loose wedgie]
You calling me a grease-monkey reminded me of that time we went to the zoo and saw that monkey grab that girl and lick her face.

[WILL laughs a little.]

WILL
Oh yeah and then she freaked out and punched it in the nose and ran away and the monkey…

[STEVE is laughing so hard that he is barely comprehensible.]

STEVE
[Interrupting]
… threw a banana at her and she tripped and ate it!

[WILL’S laughter intensifies]

STEVE
When she was falling I almost died it was like in slow motion.

[Both STEVE and WILL laugh uncontrollably for a few more seconds then their laughter slowly dies down until they are chuckling every few seconds.]

WILL
Can you let me out of this wedgie now?

STEVE
[Realization]
Oh sorry. [Laughs.] What were we fighting about again?

[STEVE and WILL both sit up on the bed. STEVE has his back to the chair that he had been sitting on earlier, and the notebook is now visible on the chair.]

WILL
I don’t even… Oh yeah the notebook. [Looks around and sees the notebook on the chair] Umm…

STEVE
What? [Sees WILL looking at the chair and he turns to look. He’s clearly embarrassed.] Oh…

WILL
Yeah…

STEVE
[Laughing lightly]
Sorry ‘bout that…

WILL
Yeah…

STEVE
[Hesitantly]
Well… Let’s start working on that project…

WILL
Yeah…

[STEVE grabs the notebook and opens it. STEVE and WILL page through the notebook and talk about their project. Curtain.]

10 Minute Play First Version

(I'm looking for help with anything in bold. All suggestions are welcome.)

Title

[WILL and STEVE are in WILL’S room. WILL is sitting on his bed and STEVE is sitting in a chair. Under STEVE is a notebook. They are watching T.V.; an episode of “Family Guy” is just ending. There is an empty desk in the corner of the room.]

WILL

[Still looking at the T.V.]

Whaddya wanna do?

STEVE

We should work on our project.

WILL

[Looking toward the desk]

Where’s the notebook?

STEVE

[Looking toward Will]

Where did you leave it?

WILL

[Getting up and looking around]

Where I always do.

STEVE

Which is…

WILL

[Picking up pillows off his bed and throwing them on the floor]

On my desk.

STEVE

[Still sitting]

Well obviously you didn’t cuz it isn’t there.

WILL

Thanks captain obvious.

STEVE

[Sarcastically]

No problem.

WILL

[Stops looking around]

Are you gonna help me look or what?

STEVE

[Still sitting]

I’m not the one who lost it. It’s not my fault.

WILL

Well then enjoy failing.

STEVE

I’m not about to fail because you are about as responsible as SOMETHING IRRESPONSIBLE and lose everything.

WILL

Oh lose everything huh? Like this one thing.

STEVE

Yes like this. And like my Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers action figure in…

WILL

[Slightly louder]

How many times do I have to tell you! I never lost your stupid Power Ranger!

STEVE

Bull****. I know you took it.

WILL

Well how ‘bout the time I told you that I liked Kim and you decided to open your big fat mouth and tell everyone?

STEVE

Are you ever gonna let that go? She didn’t even like you.

WILL

You don’t know that!

STEVE

Yeah I do. The only girl who has ever liked you is your mother.

WILL

[Enraged, nearly shouting]

Well your mom’s a INSULT.

STEVE

[Disbelief]

What did you just say?

WILL

[Deliberately]

Your… mother… is… a… INSULT.

STEVE

[Shocked, pausing between each word]

You… take… that… back.

WILL

Make me.

[STEVE lunges out of the chair toward WILL and knocks him onto the bed. They wrestle for about five seconds. WILL is lying on his stomach and STEVE jumps on his back and pulls his hair back.]

STEVE

Bug-nosed pincushion!

[WILL reverses and puts STEVE in a headlock.]

WILL

Cotton-headed ninnymuggins!

[Another reversal]

STEVE

Pizza-faced momma’s boy!

WILL

Dirt-bag rat!

[STEVE starts to give WILL a wedgie. WILL yelps with pain.]

WILL

Stop! You smelly grease-monkey!

[STEVE starts chuckling and his grip loosens slightly.]

WILL

[Surprised, quizzical]

What?

[STEVE starts laughing harder.]

WILL

What’s so funny?

[STEVE continues laughing.]

WILL

Steve!

STEVE

[Still laughing and still holding a loose wedgie]

You calling me a grease-monkey reminded me of that time we went to the zoo and saw that monkey grab that girl and lick her face.

[WILL laughs a little.]

WILL

Oh yeah and then she freaked out and punched it in the nose and ran away and the monkey…

[STEVE is laughing so hard that he is barely comprehensible.]

STEVE

[Interrupting]

… threw a banana at her and she tripped and ate it!

[WILL’S laughter intensifies]

STEVE

When she was falling I almost died it was like in slow motion.

[Both STEVE and WILL laugh uncontrollably for a few more seconds then their laughter slowly dies down until they are chuckling every few seconds.]

WILL

Can you let me out of this wedgie now?

STEVE

[Realization]

Oh sorry. [Laughs.] What were we fighting about again?

[STEVE and WILL both sit up on the bed. STEVE has his back to the chair that he had been sitting on earlier, and the notebook is now visible on the chair.]

WILL

I don’t even… Oh yeah the notebook. [Looks around and sees the notebook on the chair] Umm…

STEVE

What? [Sees WILL looking at the chair and he turns to look. He’s clearly embarrassed.] Oh…

WILL

Yeah…

STEVE

[Laughing lightly]

Sorry ‘bout that…

WILL

Yeah…

STEVE

[Hesitantly]

Well… Let’s start working on that project…

WILL

Yeah…

[STEVE grabs the notebook and opens it. STEVE and WILL page through the notebook and talk about their project. Curtain.]