3WW CCLII "Individuality"

The words over at Three Word Wednesday are appear, dose and pierce.


Individuality
The boy’s mother thinks the black eye shadow will directly lead to his becoming the most infamous school shooter in U.S. history.

She fears her shame, mostly. What it’ll do to her standing in the community, those various service organizations she belongs to. How it’ll appear at church, the popular one with the rock music and young, dynamic pastor who preaches in earnest, exactly like a used car salesman pushes a late-model beauty. The same service she bitches about before and after, since it takes up two hours of her Sunday.

The kid? Mostly an afterthought. She’s hoping to dose him to the gills with Adderall, Wellbutrin and possibly Zoloft. The quiet fog a blessing, a treat. She’s tired of the back-talk, the questions.

He’s just trying to find his own path. Black T-shirts, silver guitar belt buckle, black Doc Martens – the maroon knit beanie pulled tight over unruly hair. The nipple piercing, too, since it’s one he can hide from her prying eyes.

He’s torn between fitting in and finding his own self.

Mostly he fears the voice, the one that demands he be ordinary.

It’s a voice, low and gravelly, that keeps whispering, “Suicide.”

Comments

Monica Manning said…
Quite possibly your best piece yet. At least in my humble opinion.
TodBryant said…
Wow. Great stuff.
Jae Rose said…
Being 'ordinary' is suicide..as the others say..succinct..perfect..I feel I know both mother and son even from this glimpse..hopefully they will come to know themselves..and each other soon enough too..Jae
Chilling glimpse of middle America
Ren said…
Powerful and disturbing.
Well done.
dolorah said…
Deep and emotional. Fitting in is so hard. Well done Thom.

....dhole

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