%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 A new blog to contain answers to prompts |
| Prompt: “One day you discover you are alive. Explosion! Concussion! Illumination! Delight! You laugh, you dance around, you shout. But, not long after, the sun goes out. Snow falls, but no one sees it, on an August noon.” ~ Ray Bradbury Let this quote inspire your entry today. ---------- Oh, oh! Now I feel like re-reading Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine once more. And yes, youngsters better know that we oldies did have a past, even if childhood was denied to some of us. The quote in the prompt begins on a happy note: The vibrant realization of existence. How lovely it is to suddenly see the joy of being alive! Energy, optimism, celebration are all there. Well, especially if you are young and life looks promising with many possibilities. Not long after, however, the sun goes down, snow falls, "but no one sees it, on an August noon." Such a writerly way of expressing the idea as a contrast of the earlier jubilation and the arrival of harsh reality! August is a month of warmth and sunshine, representing the peak of summer and vitality. Snow, on the other hand, symbolizes coldness, death, and the end of things. "Yet no one sees it" points to the transition between the two contrasting ideas. This way of positioning the two ideas is exquisite, if you ask me. It shows that loss can arrive suddenly and unexpectedly, even when we expect only happiness. Be it subtle and barely noticed, we feel the impact of change deeply. We also mourn, deep down inside, the inevitable presence of sorrow and loss in life, often arriving unexpectedly, together with Ray Bradbury and Douglas Spaulding, the young boy of twelve, who is the main character in the story. Frankly speaking, when I first read the book, I was quite young, but still I was impressed. Then, I read it again couple of decades later. Thinking back, I saw more in it than what I got out of it the first time. Maybe, I'll read it again and see how I react to it in my old age. Funny how this entry ended up becoming something like a book review. So, here is something I conjured up just on the quote. Bittersweet Bittersweet life, so brief, so long, Yet, on the days when wonder emerged through the trees, with a wisp of laughter in my child's voice How fast they passed, and gone how soon like petals falling from my open hands as if dreams slipping away How Joy bloomed bright but bowed to the night, flickering away out of sight like an old used-up candle But to leave a soft refrain, a memory's kiss, or a whispered song in the dust for what's lost to be found again Bittersweet life, so brief, so long. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
