Untitled
by Matt Mullican
Her birth
Smelling the fresh autumn air
Her family
Bleeding after skinning her knee
Her house, home
Entering school
Learning to crawl
The pillow on her parent’s bed
The heat form the kitchen stove
Making friends
Learning to walk
Traveling to the mountains
Hearing her mother upstairs
Crying when feeling lost
The street noises coming in the window
The people living down the street
Learning to talk
Learning arithmetic
The rug on the living room floor
Her best friend’s brother
The trees growing in the backyard
Feeling hungry after skipping lunch
Learning to use her hands
Learning to ride a bike
Feeling hungry after her nap
The full moon lights up the night sky
The sunlight hurt her eyes
Learning about gravity in school
Her fourth birthday
The light in the hallway
The salt on the dining room table
Catching her breath after running home
Catching her breath after running home
Entering the sixth grade—becoming older
Tasting that there’s too much salt in the salad
Their pet dog
Thinking about going steady
The door between her and her older sister’s room
Experiencing puberty
Having to go to the bathroom
Scaring the dog by slamming the door
Noticing that the tree in the backyard is changing color There were so many starts she couldn’t count them all Feeling the glare of the sun in her eyes
Looking out her bedroom window
They got two inches of rain that week
Finding new friends in school
Playing handball at school
As the year progressed the days got shorter
The street light
Visiting her aunt’s house
Feeling proud of her schoolwork
Getting a boyfriend and going steady
Looking at herself in the mirror
Brushing her teeth
Entering the seventh grade
Her dog dies
Playing in the backyard
Getting an electric shock
The food cans in the kitchen cabinet
Riding the bus to school
Going to the school dance
Entering the drama club
Doing her homework
Her boyfriend’s little sister
Experiencing Puberty
Going to camp over the summer
Spending the summer at a beach house
The sound of the record player in the living room
The ocean seemed endless
The air felt thick that morning
A large man passing her on the sidewalk
Becoming sick—not going to school
Thinking about the people she has yet to meet
Making out
Learning to drive a car
Hearing her parents argue
Remembering the time she hurt herself skiing
Getting a younger sister—thinking to herself
Touching her right eye with her index finger
Getting scared
Family moves to a new neighborhood
Going to parties often
The sound of an airplane flying overhead
Entering high school
Taking a bath
Hearing static while talking on the phone
Becoming interested in history
Taking care of her little sister
Fantasizing about marriage
After gym she was very tired
The dining room table set for eating
Burning herself while cooking
Going to the movies
The telephone ringing in the hallway
Hugging her father
Hearing her parents argue
Entering college, moving away from home
The manhole in the street
Her roommate
Thinking of her in-laws
Falling asleep while studying
Her husband’s work
Her roommate’s home town
Boiling water while cooking
The amount of time it takes to walk to school
Getting a job for herself
Majoring in history in college
Looking at herself in the mirror
Getting a boyfriend
Receiving a letter from her parents
The sound of the record player in the next room
Having her wisdom teeth removed
Staying up, watching the sunrise from her rooftop
Watching the light refract through the kitchen window
Cutting her hair
Eating lunch
Studying the history of her country
A pencil on her desk at work
Getting married in the afternoon
Knowing she is going to have a baby
Their front door
Thinking of her parents
Quitting school
Her baby is born
Moving to a new house
Moving to a larger house
Her husband’s family
There is lots of green around the new house
Knowing she is going to have a baby
Her husband’s mouth
The covers on the bed
Stubbing her tow while running
Having another baby, a girl
Her son’s baby shoes
Not eating very much
February twenty-sixth
She only had an hour to get home
Feeling thirsty one hot afternoon
Her son’s school work
Her husband’s boss
Visiting her husband’s sister
Another birthday, she is getting older
The noise from a large truck
Getting her hands wet
Her daughter’s fourth birthday
Thinking about her son’s life
Going shopping
Making love with her husband
Looking at herself in the mirror
Smelling the fresh autumn air
Her thirty-fourth birthday
Thinking of her childhood
Sensing that her son is in danger
The telephone wires
Renewing an interest in history
Her son’s learning to walk
Her daughter’s left hand
The people living next door
Taking a shower
Trying to find her glasses
Dreaming that she spoke a foreign language
Sensing that her son is in danger
Thinking of her husband’s childhood
The sidewalk around the corner
An object in the back seat of their car
Touching the wall
The floor she stands on
Her father dies, sudden grief
October fifth
The backyard flooded during a heavy rain
Her husband shaved regularly
Looking at herself in the mirror
Traveling to a large city
Her son’s marriage
Her son’s graduation
Brushing her teeth
Taking a photograph
Starting a garden
Reading a book in the study
Her daughter’s graduation
Her husband’s current income
The broken glass in the basement door
Dropping a dish—watching it break
Swimming
Kissing her husband
An itch in the lower part of her back
The days seemed to be going by faster
Her daughter’s school in a foreign country
Having trouble breathing
Spending half the year at the ocean
The new living room furniture
Looking at a photograph of herself as a child
Having trouble breathing
Being scared to enter a dark room Having a grandchild Feeling older Remembering schooldays A glass of water They have retired Their son’s independence Touching herself Cooking a “hearty meal” Forgetting her age Their house Going for a trip around the world Hair turning white Her daughter’s marriage Working at her desk Wondering where that person lives
Being visited by her daughter-in-law’s parents Noticing that the sky is a light shade of blue The red car down the block Catching her breath Watching TV Taking a nap in the hot sun Her husband dies Moving Thinking about her eventual death Scaring the dog by slamming the door A family reunion during Christmas Going for a walk in the garden Feeling old, not caring Looking at her feet Not being able to see clearly Bleeding after skinning her knee
Her husband dies
Thinking of the faces of her parents Cooking vegetables The door between her and her sister’s room Looking at her eyes in the mirror The floor she stands on Thinking of her husband Looking at herself in the mirror Thinking of her death Her death
Thinking of her death
Thinking of her death
Designed by Alana Rosenberg Fall 2012 Word and Image I Washington University in St. Louis “Untitled� was written by Matt Mullican It is from the book Blasted Allegories Minion Pro and Helvetica were used Photographs were appropriated from the Internet