Friday, October 4, 2013

55: The Love of the Beautiful

Image credit: This is kind of gross.
When I was done, I smiled and looked at my work. The detail was exquisite: every finely crafted wheel and cog shone brilliantly as it turned. I carefully wound the spring and held my creation aloft, and it lit gently into the air, fluttering on rice paper wings.

“Strength,” I said, “is an earthly monster.”
* * * * *
FFF-55 Vol. LX. Tell a story in exactly fifty-five words. Go see G-Man. An ode to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Artist of the Beautiful, a short story that changed my life. (Also relevent: A Life Without Beauty.)
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9 comments:

  1. LincOctober 4, 2013 at 5:29:00 PM EDT

    Thanks :) Yes, they certainly come from the same kind of place deep inside!

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  2. Other MaryOctober 4, 2013 at 5:45:00 PM EDT

    Your last line is gold!

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  3. GraceOctober 4, 2013 at 6:33:00 PM EDT

    That ending is powerful and made me pause ~ Short and sharp words ~ Happy Friday ~

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  4. G-ManOctober 4, 2013 at 8:25:00 PM EDT

    Another Gem My Friend....
    Hawthorne would be just as relevant TODAY!
    Loved your inspirational 55
    Thanks for playing, and have a Kick Ass Week-End

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  5. AnonymousOctober 4, 2013 at 9:26:00 PM EDT

    Lovely! Very inspirational - Galen is right. Take care. k.

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  6. Brian MillerOctober 5, 2013 at 8:30:00 AM EDT

    very nice....and def a solid last line...but set up so well along the way....

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  7. LincOctober 7, 2013 at 12:45:00 AM EDT

    Full disclosure: the quotation "Strength is an earthly monster" comes directly from Hawthorne's text, as spoken by the main character, Owen Warland. I merely borrowed it for this piece, and didn't credit the source very effectively.

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  8. MargaretOctober 7, 2013 at 12:37:00 PM EDT

    Gentle and fluttering are not words usually considered to be in footstep with strength, yet my guess is that is the secret of greatness! Nice, nice, NICE!

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  9. AnonymousOctober 7, 2013 at 4:41:00 PM EDT

    excellent crib of old Nate; it fits smoothly as meshed gears with the verse above it ~ M

    ReplyDelete

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