Monday, June 03, 2013

Trifecta Challenge: Freak



This week's Trifecta Challenge was the word freak:



1
a : a sudden and odd or seemingly pointless idea or turn of the mind
b : a seemingly capricious action or event
2
archaic : a whimsical quality or disposition
3

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I’m a freak, an anomaly, an accident that wasn’t intended. I’ve accepted this as my place in the universe. Most everybody who has ever encountered me has considered me damaged and not worth much at all. I’ve been sneered at, a nose has been turned up at me a time or two. I’ve been passed around and discarded more times than I care to admit. That can damage somebody’s psyche just a bit.


It’s not my fault I was made this way. I had no say in the matter. If I had I definitely wouldn’t have been this. I didn’t choose this. And if I had? If I had made the conscious decision to be this way, would that have really made a difference? You’ll think what you want to think about who I am. I can’t ever change your mind.

And I’m okay with that because someone, just one person saw past what everybody else saw as something that was wrong with me, and saw that thing as special. Then I started to see it too. Then I believed it. That very thing that people saw as ugly was the what made me unique, different, and in its own special way, beautiful. I got put on display for the world to see and thrived through my defect, because of it.

Call me what you want to call me. I don’t care anymore. Because I know the truth, I can see it plainly. Call me all the names they’ve ever called, an error, a freak, an oddity. I may be an EFO, but that makes me valuable. I know my worth now and so does he. 

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So I took this challenge a little literally. I decided that the narrator of the piece should be a stamp that is considered a freak (definition 3d). Stamp freaks are errors in the printing process, I just learned. Some of them can be quite rare and valuable, but only if they go through the actual mail first.  I decided to use this as an allegory for any one who is devalued by our society.  People with genetic conditions, disorders, cerebral palsy, shunts, or even gay people who have been told they are limited, or not worth anyone's time, need to have or should have someone in their lives who know they are special and loves them for who they are. If you don't have that in your life, call me and I'll tell you you're worth something, give you a hug or tell you that you're loved.I'm a mother. I've got an endless supply of motherly love that would needs to be shared.

19 comments:

Trifecta said...

Great message. I think everyone has felt like this for one reason or another.

Sandra Tyler said...

that was brave: I had never even heard to the stamp definition and you used to well.

Tara R. said...

I was hoping someone would use this definition. You did a great job with the prompt.

The Bloody Munchkin said...

Thanks for the great feedback.

Draug said...

Awesome job tackling a strange definition and giving it a unique spin (:

Anonymous said...

I like the POV of the stamp. I thought that definition was the most difficult...great job on the story!

Tracie Nall said...

I love the direction you took this piece, and the message you shared.

Jennifer said...

I was hoping someone would use the stamp definition. I think you did a good job making it real and relating it to a broader message.

Dobson said...

I took the same definition as you. I like the way you spoke from the POV of the stamp. It is interesting that the oddity is what makes it interesting.

Valerie Boersma said...

Important message here, and cleverly done. We all need to feel we are valued. This is my favorite response to the prompt-good job!

The Bloody Munchkin said...

Thanks Valerie, I appreciate that.

Anonymous said...

1) I love that you used this definition. I had intended to, but something else wrote itself. :)

2) I love the message here, and how thoughtfully you wrote it (even if the POV was a little whimsical).

3) (Because, after all, this is Trifecta) The Gandhi stamp? Brilliant choice for this message.

The Bloody Munchkin said...

Thanks Trudgingthroughfog (awesome name BTW) It was a bit whimsical but I always like telling stories from perspectives of inanimate objects, you know try to put a voice to the voiceless, so that's why I did it.

The Gandhi Stamp was the best image I found that fit the piece.

Unknown said...

Ah, neat. I wanted to go this route but couldn't come up with anything.

Anonymous said...

As I read this, I thought, "how wonderful a message for youth that struggle with their identity!" Then when I realized it was about the stamp, I loved it equally. So creative! And such a beautiful message!

Anonymous said...

nice comparison

Anonymous said...

Love this story from the POV of the freak stamp. Great take on the prompt.

Anonymous said...

Oh man, you totally had me going with this. I thought the protagonist had a strange deformity, and then I find out it's a stamp. Freakin' hilarious. I love this. Great job!

Ann Bennett said...

Great message well written, Thanks.