"A Paper Life" By Tatum O'Neal Book Review

Oscar winning, childhood star, Tatum O’neal reveals her not so glamorous upbringing in the tell-all book “A Paper Life”. Being the daughter of Hollywood star Ryan O’neal  and actress Joanna Moore, one would think she lead a fabulous and spoiled lifestyle but as her biography exposes is a life filled with loneliness and abuse.  Tatum dealt with abandonment, drug abuse, molestation, and physical and verbal abuse. And the cycle seemed to repeat itself during her rocky six-year marriage to professional athlete John McEnroe. The loneliness and worthlessness she felt her entire life lead her to a downward spiral doused in drug and alcohol addiction.  Having grown up watching her parents in the spotlight and in the spotlight herself, she claims to have been alone and neglected as her parents chose doing drugs and abusing alcohol instead of parenting and being a part of the family. Tatum describes many situations in her book about neglect, abuse, drugs, alcohol and molestation which all lead to her own demise, and the continuing cycle into her very own family built with Jon McEnroe. It wasn’t until Tatum’s own daughter caught her shooting heroin in a bathroom that she decided to change and see what she was doing. So much pain and suffering and with several trips to rehab throughout the years lead Tatum O’neal to a sober lifestyle today. 

A Paper Life is a riveting, cautionary tale, like any biography, the reader questions whether these situations could truly happen to one person in such a short amount of time. Having said that, it’s like looking at a bad car crash, you cannot look away. This book is a definite page turner and keeps the reader in suspense and on edge. Sadness, pity and shock is feelings that’s arise out of the reader while reading this book, but also hopeful, hopeful that these experiences create a better person  and mother and overall better life for her and her family in the end.

A NEW ENDING BRINGS NEW BEGINNINGS!

Gavin holds Stacey close and cherishes the moment of picturing their future as a mother and father, looks at Stacey and smiles…
Gavin: I can’t believe this is happening, never though the doctors would be wrong…
Stacey replies with a huge smile on her face while rubbing her stomach…
Stacey: everything happens for a reason Gav, and we’re meant to be parents
Gavin: the best parents this child could ever ask for!
Gavin and Stacey smile at each other kiss and hold each other close
Stacey: I can’t wait to tell Ness!
Gavin: I can’t wait to tell Smithy!
They each look at their cells and then at each other puzzled as to why they have not heard from them and where they both could be. Scene ends.
Next scene starts, with Smithy down on one knee and Ness holding baby Neil
Smithy: you repulse me, I repulse you…
Ness interrupts
Ness: fair play…
Smithy: but we have this connection, this spark that cannot be ignored, and we have him (touches the back of his hand off Neil’s cheek)
A hidden smile wipes over Ness’ face
Smithy: I want us to be a family, a real family, and Ness I want to be the one to call you my wife
Ness Looks at Smithy not knowing what to say
Ness: Smithy…
Smithy: there is no one like us Nessa, what’d ya say?
With a big smile on her face…
Ness: Fair Play!
Smithy gets up and hugs into Ness and gives baby Neil a kiss on the forehead.
They both look at their phone and look at each other and smile, knowing they both received texts from their best friends Gavin and Stacey.
Scene ends with Smithy texting Gavin saying to meet at the pub.
New scene begins with Ness, Smithy and baby Neil waiting at a table at the local pub and Gavin and Stacey entering the doors in a hurry with excitement.
Smithy: GAVA-LA!!!
WHILE BOTH DOING THE ROBOT TOWARDS EACHOTHER
Gavin: SMITH-STA!!!!!
Stacey runs over to Ness and gives her and baby Neil a hug and kiss, while reaching for Ness’ hand to place on Stacey’s belly, she feels the ring on Ness’ finger and looks up at her with great surprise
Stacey: NESS???? You’re engaged???
Smithy and Gavin look at each other and give each other a big hug while Stacey is jumping with excitement.
Stacey: AND WE’RE PREGNANT!
Everyone begins to cheer with excitement and hug and kiss, they begin to banter about future plans about the baby and the wedding. Nessa interrupts..
Ness: OY! Whats occurin??? Im starving!
Smithy: That’s why I love her!
They all laugh and the waiter comes over to take their order, everyone is happy and smiling and discussing their future plans.
Drinks arrive and they all raise their glass, make a joke about Stacey’s drink being virgin cocktail and cheer. Smithy raises his glass
Smithy: to love
Ness raises her glass
Ness: to family
Gavin raises his glass
Gavin : my balls work!
Stacey: to miracles!
Everyone laughs and carries on with chatting, scene fades out.

Waking Beauty

Every morning awoke to your overlooking grin

Sincere, genuine, affection and love your eyes possessed

As your hand swept the hair off my cheek and slid down across my chin

My awaking eyes met yours, a moment I truly felt blessed

My soul mate, my lover my very best friend

Wet my lips; graze my skin, your touch, my body quivers

I vow I promise I declare myself and my heart till the end

A love so strong, so solid, body constantly in shivers

Peering through the glass, losing hope of seeing you again

Walking away, looking over, tears hitting the floor

I knew in my heart us and our love would always remain

Awaiting return, even family, oh how adore

hurt still                                                                                lingers

essence officially                                                              closed

bare                                                                                       fingers

sealed signed delivered , sincerely heart enclosed.

PLUNDERVERSE "PHENOMENAL WOMAN"

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

 MY PLUNDERVERSE :)

Pretty women                 secret lies.
not     cute    built to suit
But                 tell them,
               telling lies.
  say
            reach

            my hips
               step
            my lips
      woman

Phenomenal
       me

  walk in     room
        cool        please
       a man

Fall      on       knees
          swarm        me
                         bees

         fire       eyes
      flash       teeth
    swing       waist
         
      woman

Phenomenal
       me.

Men                 wonder
     they see
     try
         can't touch
         mystery
              show
              still can't see.

           arch       back
              smile,
               breasts
    grace       style
      woman


Phenomenal
       me.

        understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
 don   shout    jump
           talk real loud
                passing
                     proud.
  say
            click       heels
The             hair
the            hand
The need
       I'm   woman

Phenomenal  
       me.

Single Solitaire

I am rewriting Dorothy Parkers "One Perfect Rose"

One single band, diamond solitaire lay on my finger

As your knee gracefully meets the floor,

One single moment that seemed to forever linger

Foreseeing our future our vows we did swore

I see that moment, that confident look in your eyes

That forever smile on your face, seeing us husband and wife

True love solitaire; represent and symbolize

Everything dead and unliving at this moment suddenly comes to life

But wait! Violins cease, sleeping beauty wakes and uncrown thee prince charming

No sky banner? No white horse? No big gesture? Not like it mattered

It’s me Cinderella I can put on my own shoe, I know! So alarming!

Just like a mirror, just like glass, I see through it, easily shattered

I chose to do this poem because I, myself, am very cynical and do not care or over analyze "romantic gestures" from the opposite sex. I believe a flower is just a flower, a ring just a ring, etc. I tried to make my poem the same tone in the first two stanzas as in the "One Perfect Rose" and then showing my true feelings on the situation in the last stanza. I feel the ulitmate tone, like Dorothy Parkers poem, is cynical and bitter with a bit of humor. I hope you enjoy as much as I enjoyed Parkers poem:)

Comfortably Numb

"Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd is created within eleven stanzas, starting with the one word line, "Hello". The songs lines are short in the first three stanzas and then get longer in the next two stanzas. As you continue through the lyrics you see that the stanzas switch from short lines to long lines back to short. There is no particular format to the rhyme scheme of this song, but is consistent.
What is literally happening in this poem is the conversation between two people, the doctor and one of the members of the band which is evident through the stanza that reads:
"Relax
I need some information first
Just the basic facts
Can you show me where it hurts?"
While the doctor is giving the member medicine, he reminisces about the same feeling he had as a child, the feeling of being comfortably numb, being the same feeling as a child just another experience.
There are various types of figurative language used in this song. Onomatopoeia is used in the line “There’ll be no more aaaaaaaah!” imitating the sound of screaming. The use of repetition, “I…have become comfortably numb” shows the extent of the poet’s feelings at the time.  This song uses a great deal of similes and metaphors, “My hands just felt like two balloons”, and “I caught a fleeting glimpse Out of the corner of my eye”, being two examples. Symbolism being another piece of figurative language used, a conversation happening between two people, symbolizing the struggle between childhood and adulthood, innocence and naïve versus experienced and immune adulthood. Not knowing where and what point of his life that everything changed, hope he coped and how he dealt with the struggles because they always existed, but the moment that how he dealt with it changed. Referencing the ship smoking in the horizon is an example of the use of imagery. “Just a little pin prick”, being the image of a needle and symbolizing “the cure” for ones “sickness” which symbolizes ones pain.  The entire song is a form of imagery and symbolism, we picture a very sick man being medicated by a doctor and having the conversation with each other, as well as the flashbacks to childhood, when really the entire song symbolizes childhood to adulthood, and how we become numb to life’s miseries and heartache, our innocence is lost and cynicism and numbness is found.
One's first reaction to interpretation to this song would be drug use, specifically heroin. Personally, I do not believe this to be true. This song is about feeling and emotion and the initial pain we feel as a child that grows to be a more emotional pain throughout life’s constant struggles and overcoming those obstacles by becoming immune to the pain life brings on, becoming comfortably numb, meaning without feeling and accepting that. Making reference to the line "your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying" meaning the world continues to grow round, the people of the world continue to talk and go about their lives, but after years of life’s pains and struggles and the worlds bullshit, you become immune and cynical. People automatically become detached, a defense mechanism that helps them cope, withdrawing emotionally, mentally and physically and maintaining the constant need for numbness, to not feel or react to life’s turmoil.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1htZFVGsBMw

A Sonnet For You - "Mind Ever Burning"

A vision, a beauty, the light of my life

Remembering that day on the beach when our eyes first met

Dreams of our hearts dedicated, as my husband and your wife

As that first day in the sand under a fine sunset

The naïve, the impatient, returns little girl

Independence grows slow with each passing day

Round and round my life in awhirl

Never thinking that you’d be the one to go astray

I let you in completely; you broke down my guard,

Let my world fall out, lying gently at your feet

Letting go and departing, leaving me scarred

Broken promises, empty hands, in definition bittersweet

Actions speak louder than words, I am what I am no regrets, no misgivings

A journey, I still love you always will and always forgiving

 I started this poem with the thrid stanza and went from there, the form of this sonnet definitly impacted the content of the poem itself. Once I started and I knew what I wanted to write my sonnet about I had to reflect back which created the first two stanzas of the poem. As I told my story through the words in the poem my feeling of confusion and being lost was found at the very end lines by saying I discovered myself and that he will always be apart of me, no regrets and always forgiving, meaning after everything that has happened it has made me who I am today and I will always hold a place in my heart for him and for us.