Thursday, January 08, 2009

Pinnochio and other tell~tale stories

I was fat. A dumpling with cold black hair and an indian nose. I was a girl. Samalama Singleton. And my Father adored me.

He nub~nubbined my head, and pinched my nose, threw me in the air and caught me football style, just before I kissed the ground.

At four, my hair was blonde and he had squeezed my nose so many times, it had almost disappeared....

At ten, I ran face first into a concrete wall, sprinting out from under a Christmas tree....and set that nose straight again....broad and bumped...

And then I was 32. Exhausted. Sacked out on an empty living room floor. Two toddler loves waddling in circles around my head, little feet knotting my hair up in piles of angel speghetti on the Berber carpet. I closed my eyes. "Here we go round the merry go round, the merry go round, the merry go round".......

"Mama!" he said. A three year old's world breaking the rhyme. I opened my eyes just in time to see the bottom of his size four pretend Nike's leap in the air. I closed them right before all 38 pounds of Boy jumped in the air and landed on my face.

Broader and bumped again.

My nose grew and grew and grew.....

When my soldier left for war, I bit my bottom lip . I couldn't let him see me cry. Not out the airplane window. I waved and smiled. Turned. Ran.

I kissed the door head on. Knocked myself out silly.

Six months later, the black eyes faded....and the bump was all but gone. I had the most perfectly straight broken nose anyone had ever seen.

When I tell the story, sometimes people think I'm fibbing.....
But I'm not....
It's broken, always has been.

Only now I can crinkle it.
Wrinkle it.
Screw it up in a magical "I dream of Jeannie" spell....

If you don't believe me, ask Skinny....

8 comments:

skinnylittleblonde said...

For a broken nose, it sure is a beauty. Lol, dad must have just pulled and yanked on mine! But that's okay, Momma taught us how to sniff out dreams meant to be chased...I'll meet you in the sands sisterlove!

singleton said...

I loooooooooooooove you!

Anonymous said...

tattos of life!

Maithri said...

Honestly sister could you possibly endear yourself to us any more!! ;)

Everything about you is beautiful,

Peace~love,

M

PS JSYK theres an award at my place for ya.... just sharin some love... and its one which suits you - the open heart mandala... yup suits you to a T

i beati said...

uniquely you sandy mnasy blessings in 2009

singleton said...

Anon....You are so right! And these are the things we are made of....the stories, the been~theres, the yesterdays!

Maithri....LOL!
And you gave me the most priceless award a very long time ago,
and it's grown with age...
your friendship....
your words....
and so many, many things I've learned are gifts of you, the butterfly....
"woza moya".....
"it doesn't matter whose child"
"the eternity angel"
and each time I share those stories...
your friendship grows.

may the circle be unbroken,
Much Peace and Love, my friend

Ibeati....
LOL! Last of the confessions for 2009! Happy New Year, may it be blessed with peace and Love!

kj said...

i;ve seen that nose and it's a perfect fit.

hey! i miss you!

singleton said...

KJ....Muah! If this damned computer would quit locking up every 7 minutes I could travel! Crossing fingers, hoping help is on it's way! Miss you, too!