Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS writer
Once upon a time, I was told the story of my paternal great-grandmother. She loved great-grandad something fierce, though she was a fair bit younger. As granddad aged, she doted on him, cared for him as he disintegrated into decrepit old age. Some say that’s what sent her ga-ga. I don’t know, I think it’s more likely that he’s what held her together all those years … or rather doting on him caused her to avoid having to be rational and make decisions off her own steam.
Anyways, they had a reputation for being quite ‘Bohemian’ for the time. A bit odd and wild–sounds like they had great parties(!) … but eventually great-grandmama seems to have gone a little bit too far into the deep end. I recently found one of her old journals up in mom’s attic … after she passed on. Here’s an excerpt, knda blew my mind, I never knew this story …
“Every day I wake up and I want to scream ‘Oh my God I miss you!’. I sit next to your decrepit skeleton and wish you back. I hold your bony hand and gaze into your unmoving eye sockets and think, my God, what have I done? I’ve scrubbed myself raw, to rid myself of my erroneous ways. My clothes have fallen to tatters as I have not changed since you … left. I’ve given up on clothes anyways, what good are they to me now. I don’t miss them, but oh my God I miss you! One day I’m going to get that paycheck from the Bureau of Agencies and with that I’ll have this x-ray camera un-installed from my eye. I’m done with the Agencies too. I miss seeing you as you really are, flesh and muscle, tears and phlegm. Now all I have is the brutal curve of your bony ribs to curl up against. It’s so cold. I’ll never move from this place. You are my sun my moon. Oh God I miss you!”
OK, so with family like that …. don’t tell ME to stop making sense … pssht, I done that a long time ago sweetheart. What chance did I have? Sense is overrated ain’t it?
So if you’d like to hear more about me, my family and how I got to, well, where I am now—wherever the FUCK that is!–then come and see me tell my life’s story at Dane Certificate’s Magic Tricks Gags and Theatre on Sydney Road in Brunswick. From 9pm on either14, 15, 28 or 19 November 2014, tickets $15 or $10 concession. Google it.
Oh yeah free entry to anyone who’s taken the Gunnas Masterclass!