Collection of Writings by Valerie Pulaski
About the author: Valerie Pulaski lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania and attends Emmaus High School. She has one sister and deaf parents.
Collection of Writings POEMS:!Psychotic Being "page 3#!In The Know "page 4# ONE!ACT PLAY:!Concealed Memories "pages 6!13# SHORT STORY:!War Amongst Ourselves "pages 16!19#
PSYCHOTIC BEING Deep breaths won t help control him. Sense of power is out of control. Flying objects, no tears in his eyes. Face drenched with perspiration. Words can t explain his pain and anger. No way out of this emotion. Never knowing solutions, he refuses to show his true pain. This is not like him. Bloodshot eyes, flushed face. Mind racing, hands shaking. Swelling regret, feeling remorse. Not like anything.
IN THE KNOW Swaying in the wind, leaves dance with the music of nature. There s no steps to follow, just the current of the air. Just stay and breathe in the sweet scent of the da$odils. Meditate, feel your senses. Soak in the warmth of the sun. Get in touch with the peaceful aspect of life.
CONCEALED MEMORIES CHARACTERS LUCAS CIRONE... a 25 year-old man who has been going!r"gh major problems!r"gh"t h# y"ng lif$ KELLY GREENE... a psychiat%&!at has Lucas as one of her clients.
ACT ONE SCENE ONE [The curtains open, showing a psychiatrist s office with a classic lay-down couch and a few elegant comfortable chairs across from it. The walls are decorated with pictures and bookshelves. Kelly is siting in one of the many chairs, awaiting her next client. Finally, there is a knock at the door.] KELLY: Come in, Lucas. [The door opens and reveals Lucas. He closes the door and automatically starts walking towards he lay-down couch and takes a seat.] LUCAS: Hello. [digs face into hands] KELLY: So, how have you been doing this past week? If you don t mind me saying so, you re not looking too good. LUCAS: [looks up at Kelly] I d say you re pretty perceptive. KELLY: Tell me about it. It s what I m here for. I m here to help you. I hope you realize that. LUCAS: I ve just been thinking about things I ve done, had done unto me.
%Kelly falls silent, waiting for him to continue. He looks at her and sighs, knowing she s not going to say anything without him continuing.& LUCAS: Okay, remember the first week I came to see you? My make!up was running. You asked me why I felt the need to use it. KELLY: Yes, you refused to answer. LUCAS: Well, I m sure that very few men wear make!up. I know all you loony!helpers think something is usually wrong with that. As for those of us that do, I can assure you that for the most part, it s probably not used for cosmetic reasons. For me, I use concealer to hide scars. KELLY: Where d you get the scars, Lucas? LUCAS: The scars were inflicted upon me by God himself, God and his puppets. In my situation, God never showed himself toward me through eternal love and peace. %Kelly hides a pained look on her face& LUCAS: Don t look at me that way, I m not nearly done with my story yet. His way of showing his love was sending one of his puppets my way; a drunken man in a Chevy pickup, to take away all I had even held close to my heart.
KELLY: And why do you believe God has done this to you? %starts scribbling in notebook& %Lucas then stretches out on the couch, laying down in it now& LUCAS: Just listen. You won t understand until I m done. He took my potentially perfect, happy life and chewed it up and spit it out and made me witness it with my very own eyes. He took Anaya s life and the life we created together. A drunk man in a pickup had taken my fiance s life and the life of my unborn son. %pauses for a moment, then speaking with a cracking voice& So that night, I put that barrel in my mouth and said goodbyes to this cruel Earth. %voice becomes more angry& It wasn t meant to be a suicide committed in vain. It was supposed to reunite us, but it only brought everything tumbling down faster. I knew she never would have wanted that for me. %Lucas takes his wallet out of his pocket, then takes a photo out and reveals his fiance s face on it& LUCAS: This is my fiance I had never told you about. I m sorry for not telling you the whole truth about myself. The truth is ugly, just like some of God s work. "lays back down on the couch, staring at the photo while continuing to speak# Every part of me wanted to go on living a normal life, but it all had shaken me to my very core. It was pain on physical, mental, and emotional levels. So intense that I m sure most people could never even think of in their wildest... nightmares. KELLY: "speaking thoughtfully# I m sorry.
LUCAS: Don t be sorry. Anyways, a week later and after a few surgeries, I wake up in a hospital bed. I cursed myself for not succeeding in my self!righteous suicide. I left the hospital as soon as possible. Doctors and nurses tried to stop me, but I didn t care, I kept on walking right out of there. They didn t need to help me. They should ve just left me to die..."starts getting angry# It s not worth living now! Everything has been taken away from me! Angels deserved to die in God s eyes. My perfect angels. %Kelly gets a concerned look on her face, surprised by his outburst. She scribbles away in her notebook, determined.& LUCAS: JUST STOP WRITING! Listen for once! "stands up and starts pacing around the room in sheer anger# I use the concealer to cover the scars on my face. The damn scars! "starts to break down in tears, but still talks# So you, my dear friend. You now understand my dilemma. I understand you believe in God and the happiness he gives you. "calms down and wipes the tears o$ his face# And I know one day you ll feel the way I do. Although He s known for love and compassion, I hope you realize the cruelty that comes along with Him and His love. Because sometimes, sometimes he keeps us living. Even if it s the last thing we want to do. %The lights on the stage dim until they re completely out and the curtains close once and for all& THE END
Inspiration for Concealed Memories What inspired me to write this one!act play was the song Chop Suey recorded by System of a Down. I wrote this play as an interpretation of the song in my mind.
WAR AMONGST OURSELVES Theres an ancient tall tale you remind me of, Arteus, the wise old woman pokes at the small fire pit between them. Arteus looks wonderingly at the stranger. Who are you? Arteus has no idea how he arrived at this spot. He awakened from his deep sleep, here, already conversing with the woman. He s frightened and uneasy. The woman ignores his vital question. They say back then, our tribe, was being attacked by the Unkapa Tribe. Unkapa stood for The Tribe of Lions, at least in their native language. They were able to transform into lions, which brought the majestic animal s natural instincts along with it. She pause to look up at Arteus, discovering his look of awe. It s a sign of him listening intently. She s deeply satisfied. When the Ndisu Tribe, our tribe, realized the coming violence, we sprung into action. We collected all our spears, bows, and knives. We were prepared for battle. It was a saddening sight to see the teary pregnant women saying goodbye to their partners. She looks down for a second, collecting her thoughts. Her aged mind doesn t work as well as it used to, and she curses at herself under her breath.
...well, anyways, the Ndisu Tribe waited 15 hours in the searing!hot sun. They stood in their heavy clothing and awaited the Unkapa s arrival. And finally, over the horizon, they spotted them walking towards their tribe. But instead of attacking, the Unkapa chief called over the Ndisu chief. They exchanged many word privately. They!! What did they discuss? impatient Arteus interrupted. They made an agreement. THey had decided to drop their grudge and focus on something much more important: protection of the neighboring tribes. They also brought forward both of their highest!ranking shamans. They had decided to have certain changes. Their first change was almost like a promise to each tribe: no more attacks on each other ever again under the sacred sun. They were in it together. The second change was to have certain members of each tribe to... shape!shift. The Unkapa were able to turn into lions, while Ndisu were able to turn into bu$alo. Both of the shamans worked together to achieve this. The third change was to combine their tribe io one area, sharing the land, but still keeping their tribes separate. How did the tribes react to the change? Arteus was surprised at this information. He had never even heard of the Unkapa. They were furious at first, she takes in a deep breath, but they eventually got past problems and fluorished together. They later ran into problems. The strongest tribe in the Sahara confronted them: the Kuatar, also known as the tribe of snakes. The old woman looks around cautiously. They threatened to kill all the children and women and take the men as slaves if they wouldn t surrender their land. To this day, our tribe is living in fear of this threat. This happened many centuries ago. So they never attacked?
No, not yet. But they promised that one day they would, and we are unprepared. She looks up at him reluctantly. There s a fire in her eyes, her weak heart beating faster, scared to say what s coming next. Arteus sees this and fears the worst, but the woman insists on continuing. They also are able to transform into their tribe s animal: snakes. Poisonous, deadly snakes are sure to invade our land soon. Our shamans have predicted within the year. The only way to fight back is to transform. Now as I said, there s only a selected few. Who are they? He asks curiously. Myself, Kalima, Untara, and you. Arteus looks down at his now!present hooves, and feels he s in for a life long battle.