Your Post Pandemic Reveal
Should auld acquaintance be forgot?44 total reviews
Comment from Ulla
Hi Jay, What an intriguing piece of writing and a reflection of a year just gone by. A year, which most of us would rather forget. But how can we forget a year that took 1,7million away from near and dear ones. What's the point of making resolutions when we don't have the faintest idea what nature will throw at us next.
For now, let's just stay with the turn of the season and see what it has in store for us all.
A fine piece of writing. Ulla:)))
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2021
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Hi Jay, What an intriguing piece of writing and a reflection of a year just gone by. A year, which most of us would rather forget. But how can we forget a year that took 1,7million away from near and dear ones. What's the point of making resolutions when we don't have the faintest idea what nature will throw at us next.
For now, let's just stay with the turn of the season and see what it has in store for us all.
A fine piece of writing. Ulla:)))
Comment Written 06-Jan-2021
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2021
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Many thanks, Ulla. May you have a stupendous New Year!
Comment from Seshadri_Sreenivasan
I am very impressed by the uniqueness of your writing. It indeed makes one think about priorities in life. We should walk away from the pandemic infested 2020 and walk into the New beginnings with head held high. I enjoyed reading this well-written essay. Thanks for sharing!
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2021
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I am very impressed by the uniqueness of your writing. It indeed makes one think about priorities in life. We should walk away from the pandemic infested 2020 and walk into the New beginnings with head held high. I enjoyed reading this well-written essay. Thanks for sharing!
Comment Written 06-Jan-2021
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2021
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Well, Seshadri, I always look forward to reading your sincere thoughts and encouragement. Are you a member of the cloth? I see the white sash hanging down either side of your neck. And your picture reveals a very kind and caring demeanor.
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NO. What I am wearing in the pic is a traditional Indian male clothing in North India.I chose a white sash to go with a blue dress. The sash is called 'duppata' is about 5-5.5 ft long. I don't understand what you mean by 'member of the cloth' Thanks for your observations.
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Oh, I think member of the cloth refers to Christian cleric clothing. It's all clothing, after all. What matters is the man beneath it. Masks have made us all hyper-sensitive to the eyes as organs of communication. Have you noticed?
Comment from Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
...the world demanded nothing less than casting that filthy, maggot-infested mantle that was 2020 into the black, soul-sucking universal abyss....
That is the perfect description of the year 2020, and it will be forever written in history as such.
....That is when the earth softens her crust in readiness for receiving seed. The brain responds with its own chemical cocktail: Think of "spring cleaning" for the housewi ... the housespouse. (I'm not entering those waters!) ....
LOL!!! That was hilarious! The world has gone mad with all its changing of names, adding more genders. Madness!
I really enjoyed reading this, Jay. Very well done. :)) Sandra xx
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2021
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...the world demanded nothing less than casting that filthy, maggot-infested mantle that was 2020 into the black, soul-sucking universal abyss....
That is the perfect description of the year 2020, and it will be forever written in history as such.
....That is when the earth softens her crust in readiness for receiving seed. The brain responds with its own chemical cocktail: Think of "spring cleaning" for the housewi ... the housespouse. (I'm not entering those waters!) ....
LOL!!! That was hilarious! The world has gone mad with all its changing of names, adding more genders. Madness!
I really enjoyed reading this, Jay. Very well done. :)) Sandra xx
Comment Written 06-Jan-2021
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2021
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Sandra, I thank you so very much for your kind words. I'm always tickled to see what lines affect the reader. I appreciate you!
Comment from Wendy G
An interesting and thought-provoking read, with lots to think about. The thoughts flow, with some deviations - and this does not detract. It reads well. Thanks for the good wishes at the end, and may you experience the same.
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2021
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An interesting and thought-provoking read, with lots to think about. The thoughts flow, with some deviations - and this does not detract. It reads well. Thanks for the good wishes at the end, and may you experience the same.
Comment Written 06-Jan-2021
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2021
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Wendy, how kind of you to read and leave me such encouraging words. You are appreciated.
Comment from Jaime Deagle
You did a great job on this piece. It was beautifully done. You were able to convey a lot of emotion with it. Thanks for sharing your writing and as always keep on writing.
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2021
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You did a great job on this piece. It was beautifully done. You were able to convey a lot of emotion with it. Thanks for sharing your writing and as always keep on writing.
Comment Written 06-Jan-2021
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2021
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Thank you, Jaime. I plan to.
Comment from David Newkirk
Absolutely loved this piece and printed it out. Here are the things that I thought worked really well:
1. You give the ritual a sense of timelessness in your own life by harkening back to the child-bride and child-husband, and timelessness overall by pulling in the Sumerian rituals. This is reinforced when you shift to a new timeless date - the spring equinox, and pair it with many religions key dates. Thus the reader gets a real sense of the subjective significance - it is more than making resolutions, it is the cornerstone of things.
2. There are some lovely phrases in here. "nothing less than casting that filthy, maggot-infested mantle that was 2020 into the black, soul-sucking universal abyss," and "out of hell's own din, came the dulcet, 5-part harmony of Pentatonix" as well as others.
3. Breaking the 4th wall to the reader - nice and adds to the sense of voice that you build with the laxative/orange
Suggestions are minor -
1. I assume that Serius is your pet cat - dogs don't do commas generally - but wouldn't hurt to add.
2. I've read the Sumerian prayer a couple of times - I first thought it was too long, then that it wasn't. So I don't know but for you to decide.
Great piece and I look forward to more - David
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2021
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Absolutely loved this piece and printed it out. Here are the things that I thought worked really well:
1. You give the ritual a sense of timelessness in your own life by harkening back to the child-bride and child-husband, and timelessness overall by pulling in the Sumerian rituals. This is reinforced when you shift to a new timeless date - the spring equinox, and pair it with many religions key dates. Thus the reader gets a real sense of the subjective significance - it is more than making resolutions, it is the cornerstone of things.
2. There are some lovely phrases in here. "nothing less than casting that filthy, maggot-infested mantle that was 2020 into the black, soul-sucking universal abyss," and "out of hell's own din, came the dulcet, 5-part harmony of Pentatonix" as well as others.
3. Breaking the 4th wall to the reader - nice and adds to the sense of voice that you build with the laxative/orange
Suggestions are minor -
1. I assume that Serius is your pet cat - dogs don't do commas generally - but wouldn't hurt to add.
2. I've read the Sumerian prayer a couple of times - I first thought it was too long, then that it wasn't. So I don't know but for you to decide.
Great piece and I look forward to more - David
Comment Written 05-Jan-2021
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2021
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David, I am thrilled and humbled by the length and depth of your review. It's so rare to find anyone willing to invest time, concentration, and energy on another's article. So thank you, truly.
Serius is a dog, a Shihsu (I've never learned the spelling of it), and it is rather like a comma. However, I'm going to make the suggested change, because Serius would be horrified to think that any reader would confuse him with a cat. I will also take a look at that prayer. I, too, feel it is too long to render the effect I wanted.
Again, thanks for being so generous with your time.
Jay
Comment from Tpa
I loved the tone, your voice, the quality of your text. The manner, you conveyed the horrific menace that plagued our country for those last twelve months and your visionary expectations.
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2021
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I loved the tone, your voice, the quality of your text. The manner, you conveyed the horrific menace that plagued our country for those last twelve months and your visionary expectations.
Comment Written 05-Jan-2021
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2021
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Many thanks, Tpa. I'm happy you found it a good read.
Comment from Dana Starr
I was spellbound by your recounting of your New Year's Eve. My New Year's Eve was much the same as yours, absent the laxative (I have the opposite problem). Oh, and I watched Andy Cohen do his best to make Anderson Cooper giggle like a little girl instead of watching Carson Daly. Anyway, I loved your idea of the glass ball shattering upon impact with 2020. Finally, your ending was unexpected but appreciated. Great job.
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2021
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I was spellbound by your recounting of your New Year's Eve. My New Year's Eve was much the same as yours, absent the laxative (I have the opposite problem). Oh, and I watched Andy Cohen do his best to make Anderson Cooper giggle like a little girl instead of watching Carson Daly. Anyway, I loved your idea of the glass ball shattering upon impact with 2020. Finally, your ending was unexpected but appreciated. Great job.
Comment Written 05-Jan-2021
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2021
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Many thanks, Dana. I'm thrilled you enjoyed reading my offering and rewarded it with stars.
Comment from Allezw2
Master JAY SQUIRES:
To you in the Great Central Valley, home of the Western Music Revival and Basque herders; over the hills from the San Fernando Valley, pax vobiscum. So indeed, why resolve to do better when we have perfected a lifestyle well suited to the present? Nostalgia for what was? Forge on to the new! Tip'a tha' hat to the myth of the New Year's Babe and the retreating Grim Reaper with a shouldered scythe stalking into oblivion.
I hope you had fun with this bit, it was to read.
Live long and write well,
Fantasist
PS. And those folk only had 360 days to their year, too.
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2021
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Master JAY SQUIRES:
To you in the Great Central Valley, home of the Western Music Revival and Basque herders; over the hills from the San Fernando Valley, pax vobiscum. So indeed, why resolve to do better when we have perfected a lifestyle well suited to the present? Nostalgia for what was? Forge on to the new! Tip'a tha' hat to the myth of the New Year's Babe and the retreating Grim Reaper with a shouldered scythe stalking into oblivion.
I hope you had fun with this bit, it was to read.
Live long and write well,
Fantasist
PS. And those folk only had 360 days to their year, too.
Comment Written 05-Jan-2021
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2021
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Ha! Fantasist! I just dropped off a review of your "A sentence Starts the story" story. You are an excellent writer. I hope you're not taken aback by that review.
Yes, we could live in worse places. Northridge is a nice area, certainly better in the summertime than Bako. Thank you, my friend, for the six stars. I appreciate it.
Comment from Judy Lawless
I enjoyed reading this essay, filled with humour and deep soul searching. I haven't made New Years resolutions for a long time, but these days I make a resolution each morning before I get out of bed, just to accomplish something that will lift my spirits and get me through another day of routine.
I agree that it would have been appropriate for the ball to smash this year.
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2021
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I enjoyed reading this essay, filled with humour and deep soul searching. I haven't made New Years resolutions for a long time, but these days I make a resolution each morning before I get out of bed, just to accomplish something that will lift my spirits and get me through another day of routine.
I agree that it would have been appropriate for the ball to smash this year.
Comment Written 05-Jan-2021
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2021
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I like your daily resolutions better than my yearly ones. Thank you for your kind words and the stars!