After Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael:
Seated Youth Writing in Book (17th/18th century)

I Am Not As Advertised
The freshly shaven yard looks more like a golf green than anything I should be walking on. I remind myself just how powerful I always was when wielding a simple fine-toothed steel-tined rake, standing up the grass, wrenching out tangles and moss. The soil underneath seems more moist than it's been since last December, with tiny, shiny red ornamental crabapples hiding in the crevices. A flight of geese startles from the nearby creekbed, fleeing into the past participle of themselves in the process: A Fluck of Geese. The scents and colors suggest Galacia, some Old World land between empires. I am a peasant at heart here, and may I always remain one. I tried to take comportment lessons, to dress in the proper colors for each season, and to become invisible in the hope of fitting in. Proper society struggles to permit requisite variety, and so always works to undermine its stated intention. I write, and so I eventually tend to embarrass myself. I am not as advertised, thank heavens, and am in no need of reform.

Weekly Writing Summary

I began my writing week in the presence of NaughtKnowing. "No present argument can supplant the sure and certain knowledge implanted before and desperately, confidently held on to since. Sure, their premises are provably incorrect, but not provably to them."

Pieter van der Heyden
after Pieter Bruegel, the elder
published by Hieronymus Cock:
Big Fish Eat Little Fish (1557)

“I hope somebody influential is praying for us.”
—

I spoke next of science and afterliving and before living, too, in Trajectories. "I suspend myself here on a virtual highwire, balancing between perfect infinities and writing about my manner of living as if the result might make a difference. As long as I can persist in this delusion, which neither biology nor physics can confirm, I possess a life, a profession. When I no longer can believe, I'll leave."

Giorgio Ghisi?, After Giulio Romano:
The Prison (16th century)

" … Trajectories upon which I warmly rely."
—

The Muse and I took a toodle up and into *ThePalouse. The most popular posting this period! "This might be the end of the world or its beginning. It proves deceptively fecund, for it's some of the most productive land in the world, but in late November, it looks almost barren like desert."

Russell Lee: Sign. Whitman County, Washington.
The Palouse country is most famous for its extensive wheatland
(1941)

" … dense fog settled around us."
—

I next spoke of Conventions, those considerations that seem to define a practice. "Any of us who practice wonder where our edge lies. We might never realize what's ours and what's emulation."

Attributed to Firuz Mirza Nusrat al-Dawla:
Practice Calligraphy [Siah Mashkh] (c. 1850-1886)

"Writers create by means of surface imperfections."
—

I next offered a brief primer on the underappreciated skill of Indecision. "In this culture, Indecision is widely considered the eighth mortal sin, following and resembling sloth, for Indecision seems like nothing, and nothing's never considered a viable choice."

Odilon Redon: Profile of Shadow (c. 1895)

"I'm still not doing anything except not deciding yet."
—

I ended my writing week dreading the upcoming Winter, which, remember, hasn't even started as of this writing. I almost apologize for the dour tone I employed in Enormity. "Holiday music stalks me like an axe murderer everywhere I go."

Charles Martin:
Gazette du Bon Ton, 1914 - No. 1, Pl. III:
L'Arbre Merveilleux / Costumes d'enfants pour Noël (1914)

"The magic only ever comes after I feel overwhelmed enough… "
—

This writing week bled every blessed remainder of our colorful Autumn out of existence. What's left seems bleak and barren or freshly shaven. I stretch myself to conjure comforting characterizations. I might be recovering from electioneering poisoning, a pleasant disorder, until the election's over. Then, it's Thanksgiving, serving cold turkey withdrawal and only impending obligations to offer. I witnessed NaughtKnowing without noticing my own contributions to the topic. I remain capable of revelations even when surrounded by the usual seasonal deprivations. Our backyard, ThePalouse, serves as unlikely respite, as backyards always serve. The Conventions I struggled to learn and incorporate into practice remain mine to violate when I must. I might revere what my culture abhors. One man's Indecision is another's salvation. The Enormity of what lies before me, before any of us, might always seem overwhelming if we focus too damned tightly on it. It might be that the purpose of the December celebrations always was to serve as distractions, the naked landscape otherwise too overwhelming to assimilate. A strong Winter ale might have found its true purpose. Thank you for continuing to follow along!

©2023 by David A. Schmaltz - all rights reserved

Tags: #GoodNuff, #PureSchmaltz