Thoughts spilling into spoken word

Last week as a writing team we participated in a whole day of learning our Myers-Briggs personality types. To help clarify between letters, we engaged in fun writing activities. After writing a few of us shared what we wrote--reminded me of free writing in my AP English class in high school! :)

After observing an abstract painting for about 20 seconds, we were asked to describe what we saw for 3 minutes.

Two cherries sitting on the side of a green road winding down out of view. Branches blown by the wind litter the green grass. Was there a storm? A ribbon left over from a dress, or is it a head scarf from a little girl? Green and red remind me of Christmas and make me want to add gold flecks into the painting. The shade of green calms me, it's my favorite color...

We were again asked to define another abstract idea--time. We only had 3 minutes or so.

Continues on and on and on. Doesn't stop for funerals, tragedies...doesn't slow down while joy or happiness are felt. Doesn't speed up during horrible lectures! Ten minutes can feel like an eternity at the doctor's office, but can feel like a second when you're with someone you love. Time is a paradox, a mystery that...

Then during another writer's meeting, we each received a scenario to write about for 5 minutes to get our writer-brains started. My boss gave coworker Melissa this scenario: The world is now backwards, describe it. She wrote this amazing poem, seriously genius! :)

The World of D'Lrow ~ by assilem

I woke up this morning and started to yawn
And realized that night had dawned!
People waved "Goodbye, hello"
The sun was blue, the sky—yellow!
And no one ever claps their hands
They clap their feet—an applauding dance
Ice cream never stays on cones
And dogs unbury chewing bones
The ceilings have become the floor
And rain falls up here, evermore…

My boss gave me this scenario: Describe the misadventures of Eddie the Yellow Snowflake...unfortunately I ran out of time and didn't finish my story. But you can probably guess where I was going with it...

Eddie loved himself. Loved himself to the point of ridiculousness. "What a beautiful snowflake am I!" he would croon. "Look at me glitter, look at me shine!" Everyday Eddie would walk down Crystal Avenue looking at himself in all the mirrors gloating to his neighbors. "I'm the best that's ever been made! I'm the best that will ever be!" Eddie loved himself.

One day the Maker Of All That Is Snow, MOATIS for short, needed snowflakes for a project. Everyone crowded around excitedly waiting to be picked. Eddie, of course, was right in front glistening in the sun. Well, he was chosen. "I knew it!" he cried, "now is my chance to show the world my beauty!"

As he lazily dropped to the earth, he grew more and more proud of his beauty.

Yeah, eventually I would explain how he became yellow... (aka a dog peeing on him!) :) which would then humble him and cause him to realize his true worth did not come from his exterior, but inner character!