ASHES

Act One

Scene 1

WYNDEL BLACKMAN, a Black American aged early-thirties, and his mother MOMMA BLACKMAN have just arrived at the airport in an un-named W. African county. They and their luggage are in a booth where “he” is being questioned by a CUSTOM’S AGENT. There is a suitcase opened in front of the AGENT, and its contents spread in front of the AGENT. Other suitcases are also open, but their contents not spread. Included in those contents are three bags of gray/white powder, a book, and a framed photograph of a woman.

CUSTOM AGENT

So, you’re travelling as a family, Mr. Blackman?

MOMMA

Correct. We sure is.

CUSTOMS AGENT

You, your mother, and your father: is that correct?

WYNDEL

I suppose you could say that.

MOMMA

Why you asking these questions? Don’t you got nothin’ better—

CUSTOMS AGENT

(Interrupting)

Well, I see your passport and your mother’s but where is your father’s?

WYNDEL

He doesn’t need one.

MOMMA

No he don’t!

CUSTOMS AGENT

Sir, everybody entering our country is required to present a passport unless they are a citizen in which case—

WYNDEL

(Interrupting)

He isn’t a citizen although my mother might dispute that with me.

MOMMA

Boy, you know he comes from here. We done proved that with science. We tested your DNA to prove it.

CUSTOMS AGENT

He has to present proof of citizenship.

WYNDEL

Like I said, he isn’t exactly a citizen and he don’t have to have a passport.

CUSTOMS AGENT

Mr. Blackman, your father needs to be a citizen or he must have a passport.

MOMMA

Not if he be dead he don’t.

WYNDEL

We brought him with us but he isn’t here—not in the way you mean. He hasn’t been here for a few months now. But we have brought him back, back to his homeland. Least that’s what my mother says. She says,

(Mimicking her voice)

“This here’s his home and we got ta bring him home.”

CUSTOMS AGENT

I see. So he is with you in spirit, but not in person. That I suppose makes sense although it would have been easier if you….

(Picks up one of the bags of gray/white powder from the suitcase)

However, there is another problem. So, Mr. Blackman, do you think that you can bring drugs into our country and not get caught? Do you know the penalty for drug smuggling?

WYNDEL

(Laughs)

I told her it was stupid. “Momma,” I said, “they aren’t gonna let us bring those ashes into no country and scatter them.” Course, did she listen? No, sir. She never does. Just “We gotta take your Daddy home.” Home, Jesus, the man grew up in Mississippi and moved to Cincinnati when he was grown. Never been out of the U.S. of A. except once and that was by accident. He and his buddy, Uncle George, were driving George’s car to San Diego. Got lost in El Paso. They went across the border by accident. He told me that story when I was a teen. Says,

(Imitating his father’s voice)

“Two Black men trying to get back into Texas. Took most of a day ‘cause we had to be carryin’ drugs. Wyndel, if there’s one thing you need to know, boy, it’s two Black men doin’ anything the cops gonna stop ya and look for them drugs.”

Sir, those aren’t drugs. They are my father’s ashes. That’s what I was talking about. We’re taking them to scatter where his great-great-grandfather comes from. The slavers took him and dragged him off when he was just a teenager. That was almost two hundred years ago. I don’t know where he was buried. Don’t know where his great-grandfather was buried neither. His grandfather? Well, he’s in Mississippi, right in the cemetery next to the Black Baptist Church. My Granny and Uncle Luke, they’re in the same place, right next to. But, Momma, she says, “No, sir,—

BOOKS BY KENNETH WEENE ARE AVAILABLE ON AMAZON CLICK HERE  

Bonfire of Poetry

What happens when four poets meet every week to share and discuss? There are sparks of inspiration that can ignite excitement and a desire to share a love of poetry with the world. We, the editors, hope this poetical anthology helps to warm and inspire you and to ignite your passion to read and write poetry. With great thanks to the other poets who have added their fuel to our bonfire, we are Alicia Kimberly, Kenneth Weene, Christy White, and Mark Young.

Coursing

The poems included in the collection reveal a remarkable poetic excellence. These poems aptly show profoundly imaginative power. No doubt, the poet is an adept in the intimate and convincing analysis of emotions.

Jumping Over The Ram

What an extraordinary story Deng has to tell! It is not just about South Sudan; it is a universal story about survival and determination - how a child can face the most difficult of situations and find a way through them. It is a privilege to introduce you to Deng Atem and his moving memoir, Jumping Over the Ram.  ~Anderson Cooper, CNN Anchor

The Rightful King

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Times To Try The Soul of Man

What do an overweight stripper, the CIA, corruption in New York City, the Israeli Mossad, ancient Inca civilization, terrorism, political intrigue, mad dashes across America, and a waste-case of a teenager have in common? They are the ingredients of this action-packed crime and coming-of-age novel. Much of this story is based on true events, perhaps too true to be believed. Guaranteed to make you think and probably to shudder as you relive 9/11. "In his book Times To Try The Soul Of Man, Kenneth Weene paints a vivid portrait of the peripatetic freelance journalist peering from the outskirts of mass corruption at an American horror show." (Anthony Flacco – NY Times best selling author)

Broody New Englander

Three stories set in New England explore love and seduction, commitment and infidelity, death and mourning. Literary fiction with some hints of science fiction and the paranormal. Broody New Englander offers deep psychological and sociological insights and combines warmth of character and plot with lyrical language.

Sweet & Sour

Short fiction some filled with sweetness and some filled with pain.

Red & White

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Memoirs From The Asylum

What is it like to work inside a state hospital or to be a patient in such a hospital? What is it like to live inside the mind of such a patient? This tragi-comedic novel takes the reader inside the asylum, inside the worlds of three central characters: a narrator who has taken refuge from his fears of the world, a psychiatrist whose own life has been damaged by his father's depression, and a catatonic schizophrenic whose world is trapped inside a crack in the wall opposite her bed. This is the interwoven story of their lives, a story that includes love, sexuality, violence, deaths, celebrations, circuses, and surprising twists. As the plot unwinds, the reader learns a great deal about the nature of futility, frustration, and freedom.

Widow's Walk

Mary Flanagan, caught between her sense of religion and obligation on one hand and her very human desire for love and life on the other, is in emotional limbo. When she meets Arnie Berger, who becomes both her lover and philosophic guide, Mary's world seems to be transformed. Changes also come for Mary's children, who have been trapped in their own dilemmas. Sean, a quadriplegic, is looking for a fulfilled life. Mary's daughter, Kathleen must cope with infertility and anger in her search for happiness. The lives of all three Flanagans are turned upside down by happiness and tragedy.

Ashes

Hundreds of years have separated Wyndel Blackman and his mother from his father’s homeland in Africa. Now they have come from America to scatter his father’s Ashes. What will they learn on this journey? What will they teach the people of that distant community?

Tales From The Dew Drop Inne

"Tales from the Dew Drop Inne" reads like a darkly humorous sitcom. The tone is both heartfelt and deliciously irreverent, showing that one does not need to hate humanity to appreciate the humor of life. Here are tales of drifters, alcoholics, religious renegades, veterans, and drag queens set in pub that is at once a confessional, a circus, and a psychiatric hospital. --Marina Julia Neary, author of "Martyrs & Traitors: a Tale of 1916"

El Catrin

Can Father Eduardo protect Jesus? Will the Devil best his brother? What mysterious things can happen among those who believe in holy mysteries? Who is El Catrîn? Magical Realism by Kenneth Weene.

Two Tales of Terror

Site Designed by VMG 2019  © All Rights Reserved Kenneth Weene