“IT” Excerpt

With the new teaser trailer for IT having been released, I figured I’d post one of my favorite moments from the book (an event following Georgie’s death). It puts a knot in my throat every time.

“Bill saw his father was crying and this increased his terror. A frightening possibility suddenly occurred to him: maybe sometimes things didn’t just go wrong and then stop; maybe sometimes they just kept going wronger and wronger until everything was totally fucked up.

‘D-Duh-Dad–‘

‘Go on, Bill,” his father said. His voice was muffled and shaking. His back went up and down. Bill badly wanted to touch his father’s back, to see if perhaps his hand might be able to still that restless heaving. He did not quite dare.

‘Go on, buzz off.”

He left and went creeping along the upstairs hall, hearing his mother doing her own crying down in the kitchen. The sound was shrill and helpless. Bill thought, Why are they crying so far apart? and then he shoved the thought away.”

-Stephen King (“IT”)

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I think that’ something that made this book so terrifying. Most of these kids didn’t have a good home-life, or supportive environments to help during rough times. God forbid they would believe anything that was happening. They were alone; all they had was each other.

 

Sell Me the Earth

One night in a Taco Bell, my friend posed an interesting prompt. He told me to sell him the Earth. Meaning, if he were an alien planning on destroying our planet for its resources, how would I convince him to spare us? It caught me a bit off guard, but it intrigued the hell out of me. I took a drink and thought…

How would I sell the Earth?

After a few seconds of rushed contemplation, I came up with an answer, “We built a machine about 10 or 15 years ago… We sent it into space with the purpose of exploring the furthest planet in our solar system. It will reach that planet in about a week. The man who discovered that planet died many years ago. His ashes are on that machine… He’ll be the first person to visit the planet he discovered. We call it Pluto.”

He paused, and then bluntly said, “Okay, so I’ll give you a week and then destroy you.”

We both laughed before engaging in a deeper conversation regarding the worth and special qualities of humanity. My opinion of humanity’s specialty was the fact that out of seven billion people, every single person is different. There are seven billion people on this planet, all with completely different sets of opinions and characteristics. It’s really pretty incredible. He said he finds our willingness to unite in times of hardship fascinating.

We went on for a while, but eventually concluded that our planet might not be sell-able…neither one of us could come up with a reason good enough to satisfy these hypothetical aliens.

Can you?

My Chair

How do I continue without you?

How do I stifle my feelings?

How should I not think of you,

Come each and every hour?

 

How is rather fine, but rather,

Why?

 

Why should I go on and why must I forget?

Why should I dwell on where my feelings sit?

After all,

We sit when we’re exhausted…

Or when we’re seeking comfort

Stephen King and My Grandmother

The Wind Through The Keyhole by Stephen King is one of my favorite books, and the more time that passes, the more I appreciate it. Three stories within one, it may be one of the richest reading experiences I’ve ever had. There are so many inspiring moments that conceal these deep trenches of intensity. If you take a second to look beyond his sentences, you notice how profound they really are. There’s a quote from one of my favorite movies (Stuck In Love) that says, “A writer is the sum of their experiences.” Stephen King is an amazing writer. His writing is rich, deep, intense, and explicit; and I’m sure his life has been as well. It makes me wonder what he’s gone through.

“If the sweetness of our lives did not depart, there would be no sweetness at all.” -Stephen King

One thing I’m learning as I live my life, is that experiences shape you. Not only do they shape you physically as you age, but they shape you, emotionally. Whether you like it or not, every day contributes to who you are tomorrow. As depressing as it may seem, and I’m sure many sociologists would agree, you have less control than you realize.

“It was not fair, it was not fair, it was not fair. So cried his child’s heart, and then his child’s heart died a little. For that is also the way of the world.” -Stephen King

There’s this certain way my grandmother speaks. She’s a very intelligent woman, and I’m sure she’s experienced quite a bit throughout her life. This way she speaks is distinguishably different than that of my father, mother, or almost anyone else I can think of. It’s as if you can hear the experience in her voice. It seems as though her life seeps out of her mouth and intertwines with her every word. It’s as if she has a sort of personal certainty about every topic of discussion.

I think a person that age has experienced most things in life – especially most of the things a person my age has experienced (if not, all). A person that age has most likely lost someone. They’ve probably been in love. They’ve been hurt, and they’ve hurt others, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally. They’ve loved their life at times, and hated it just as much. Given this blanket of somewhat ambiguous experiences, there are mysteries behind a person’s eyes. I’d like to think I can see them in hers, sitting across from her in Steak ‘n Shake. What have they seen? What are they hiding? My grandmother may very well have scars on her wrist from when she was a teenager. Or an adult. She may know what it’s like to want death. She may have tried for it…and as ludicrous as it may sound, what if she’s killed? What if losing her husband so young became too much for her to handle? So she turned to the bottle? Maybe she chose to get in the car one night and drunkenly hit and ran…it fascinates me. What has she experienced in her life that’s fueled her assuring voice?

“Pray for rain all you’d like, but dig a well as you do it.” -Stephen King

I read Stephen King and it’s as if I can hear his own life in his writing. Through his characters and the stories they tell, I begin to paint a picture of his own experiences in my head. As my grandmother speaks with that tone of certainty, I find myself painting a picture of hers as well. With every comment she makes or every dismissive wave of her hand, I can’t help but wonder.

Icicle

Why am I the only one

Denied who makes me love

Who inspires how I think

And what I feel?

Above me; so close but yet, too far

Dangling, you are

An icicle

Your beauty glints of new and old

I have no choice but to behold

And when, just when, you choose to fall

I’ll catch you with my eyeball

And die

A Tribute to Astronomy

As interested as I am in the raw, intricate molecular physics of the world that surrounds me, I find myself somewhat naturally, and maybe a bit unusually drawn to the astronomical and planetary sciences. I look at a diagram of the Earth, Sun and Moon, and something sparks inside of me. There’s something about planets…space; something bigger than molecules. I look at a picture of Saturn, and I can feel my pupils dilate. There’s just something about astronomy. It’s beautiful. Powerful. Astronomical.

“Belt loops?”

Being new to the blogging world, I thought I’d post a short piece of writing I’ve had tucked away for a while. I hope you enjoy!

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The all-too gorgeous news anchor, face caked in makeup, was speaking straight into the history books, but I couldn’t stray from my own thoughts. Belt loops. That’s the first thing I noticed.

“Dude, look, man, they’ve got fucking belt loops!” I spouted.

I heard his lighter flick and the faint sound of burning grass as I tried to stay focused on what the news anchor was saying.

“Belt loops?” He inquired, with that mucusy, back-of-the-throat sound of a lingering hit.

“Yeah…belt loops…how the fuck do they have belt loops? Out of all the things they could have, they have fucking belt loops? We have belt loops, man.”

“Yeah, so?” he asked, clearly not appreciating my observation.

“Dude, think of the millions of years of evolution and shit that brought us to belt loops…all the things that made belt loops happen, and this extraterrestrial, light years-away civilization has the same fucking thing, man! That’s crazy, right?”

He snickered, coughing out a cloud, “You’re high as fuck, dude”

…Belt loops.