There is a marvelous little book by Joe Brainard called I Remember. It is a bulleted list of things that he remembers. In no specific order, just things, as he remembers them.
A brief bio of Joe Brainard:
Joe Brainard was born in 1942 in Salem, Arkansas and spent his childhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the brother of painter John Brainard. Brainard became friends with Ron Padgett, Dick Gallup and Ted Berrigan during high school while working on the literary magazine The White Dove Review. He joined them in New York City around 1961, after leaving the Dayton Art Institute. By 1964, Brainard had already had his first solo exhibition and was ensconced in a circle of friends that included Frank O’Hara, Kenneth Koch, Alex Katz, Edwin Denby, Larry Rivers, Fairfield Porter, James Schuyler, Jane Freilicher, Virgil Thompson, John Ashbery, among many others. He also began a relationship with Kenward Elmslie which lasted much of his life, despite having other lovers. He found much success as an artist until he removed himself from the artworld in the early 1980s. Brainard died of AIDS-induced pneumonia in 1994.
Needless to say, i was inspired
I remember not being afraid of daddy long-legs
I remember a brand of ice cream cone that my stepmom bought once that tasted like something I couldn't remember
I remember how slow everything got when I would trip and fall
I remember the first time I learned about sarcasm. I wanted both popsicles but I was only allowed one, and being told "Sure, have two, lose your teeth"
I remember the scariest image I've ever had was being told my teeth would rot out at night by a woman in a Chinese restaurant
I remember Swedish Fish fights on unseasonably warm saturday nights
I remember "Please walk away and let me go" "I can't my darling I love you so"
I remember well-balanced mix CDs on the ride to Delaware
I remember going to bed in Connecticut and waking up in Philadelphia
I remember breaking in to the dining hall with my best friends and stealing ice cream sandwiches
I remember winning poetry contests worth money but never collecting the money
I remember 6 AM debate team
I remember planning out counter-insults to mean kids the night of the first day of school
I remember being scared of "We need to talk"
I remember bad chinese food and holding hands quietly in the back of the car. I wore my Gir t-shirt and straightened my hair and he gave me more presents than I could carry.
I remember 7th grade. Warm days on the back of the bus with everyone flocking to us for stories and to watch our tits bounce when we went over the big bump on Passyunk
I remember Big Tea Party and eating chicken at precisely 6 o'clock with Mary
I remember "ONE....ONE.....ONE....ONE....HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
I remember sad belly aches when you got a new girlfriend
I remember being afraid I was the only person in the world with feelings
I remember joke "About Me" powerpoint presentations
I remember being cold on hot days
I remember Tida, how much fun she was, and our walks around the building before school.
I remember Bahijah, how cute she always was, and how sad I was to learn that she was sad.
I remember talking in my sleep about Sea Monkeys and Paris Hilton
I remember being sad
I remember being happy
I remember the first time I met Jinx. We went to the Fashion exhibit at the art museum and then saw American premiers of Japanese cartoons. I remember being awestruck by her beauty.
I remember Maggie putting on a play at Old Pine and wanting to be in it.
I remember "I have two legs going on three legs"
I remember reading "I Remember" and wanting to write a list like it.
