Harry B. Sanderford
An untended Ferris wheel turns slowly against a smoke streaked sunset. The tattered sails of beached sailing ships wave cheerless gray and brown party flags over soldiers of every stripe. Ragged throngs too weary to separate by uniforms sit on their helmets rolling tobacco or passing unlabeled bottles; the bitter local spoils of a global contest no longer possible to score. Some drink greedily thankful for another day, others drink just as fiercely regretting the very same thing. One soldier considers a childhood memory of snow falling on a boardwalk that no longer exists. The snow he knows will still fall. But this cannot be my life, he thinks, to melt into a puddle, swirling in the gutter like so much dirty snow.
This is such a melancholy piece. Wistful and lovely.
ReplyDeleteUnusually melancholy for you, Harry. I prefer the manic, but this is a good experiment. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThis had quite a poetic feel to it. I liked the line "Ragged throngs too weary to separate by uniforms sit on their helmets rolling tobacco or passing unlabeled bottles..."
ReplyDeleteWow Harry, how adeptly you show us so many lives in so few words. I too like the poetic feel to it, how soothing it is. Thanks for sharing this other side with us.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Harry.
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Harry. I will join the above throng and say it had a poetic feel. Well done.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.
This is very dark Harry, and has a really apocalyptic tone to it.
ReplyDelete"the bitter local spoils of a global contest no longer possible to score."
ReplyDeleteAh, but we can score you in Har, as a feller in the know of depth and feeling and when tough goes way past enough. You just let it out Har and your Ferris Wheel spins black and white its bleak existence, tentative as one more turn. (Humbly, I salute you) ~ Absolutely*Kate
Some drink greedily thankful for another day, others drink just as fiercely regretting the very same thing.
ReplyDeleteThanks alot everyone!
ReplyDeleteMmm... love this. It's a delicate picture and you've painted it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great snippet of writing, and it feels as though the character is deep enough to make a longer story out of it, beginning at 'But this cannot be my life, he thought...'
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, I'm hooked on this character already.
Live a life without regrets. Such a powerful piece, one that evokes regret in a vivid way. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete