Week 9: Family miscommunication

Cheryl charged into the kitchen just as dad was dishing up dinner. “Has Robert called?” Cheryl anxiously enquired. “You just made it young lady” grumbled dad. “It’s important” implored Cheryl. “Don’t talk back to your father” mum chimed in. “Punctuality is important missy” added dad. “I think he might be breaking up with me!” Cheryl cried. “Mind your tone Cheryl” warned dad. “Don’t you guys fucking care!” yelled Cheryl. “I will not have that language at my table Cheryl, go to your room!” wailed mum. Cheryl stormed out the back door, slamming it behind her. “That girl just doesn’t listen” dad moaned. “I don’t know what her problem is” replied mum.

Comment on: https://akeigaldie.wordpress.com

To love and hate her husband at the same time; quite the conundrum. The tragedy I feel about this relationship was that the irreconcilable differences were apparent from the beginning. Eustacia and Clym just either chose to ignore them or were totally blinded by passion. They both fell in love with their imagining of the other. An unfortunate folly that lovers long before and probably forever more will continue to make.

Week 8: Clym Yeobright through the eyes of Eustacia Vye

Why, why does he insist on remaining in this dreary place? He possesses the talent to soar far beyond this wasteland and thrive in sophisticated cities I have only dreamed of. He has forsaken a life of luxury among cultured and refined people for his own contrived mission of educating the blissfully ignorant inhabitants of this forsaken heath. Can he not see they do not desire his wisdom? Can he not see he does not belong here? He has clipped his own wings that he might never reveal his true potential and leave these people he calls his own behind him as he fulfils his fortuitous destiny. What I would give for the opportunities he has squandered. He was blind long before he lost his eyesight.

Comment on: https://christinatemplis13.wordpress.com

You seem to have kept faith with the world 😛
The ability to accept life’s’ inevitable ups and downs is a priceless virtue that will allow us to stop wasting time fretting about the way we think it should be and more time dealing with what is.
It also frees us up from pointless worry about the future and regret for the past.
Great poem!

Week 7: A Universe of Uncertainty

The 25 year old fitness fanatic who, whilst jogging, got run over by car driven by a morbidly obese man who smokes two packs a day. The woman who worked hard and saved her whole life who got cheated out of every penny by her greedy younger sister. The criminal mastermind who initiated the perfect robbery who got busted when his heist was foiled by a drunken Jamaican man who thought it was a practical joke. As the old saying goes; “Want to know how to make God laugh? Make plans.” You may spend your whole life worried about cancer and wind up dying from a snake bite in Swaziland at the age of 99. Ce sera sera.

Comment on: https://rachelmbarrett.wordpress.com

Did the industrial age force us all to care more about time? Interesting question. I’m sure the bosses always cared about ensuring the machinery of their profits were used to the utmost efficiency. Unfortunately, the workers were seen as merely another part of that machinery and their time was money for the owners. If you need your job in order to survive and your boss is obsessed with how he utilises your time; you, by default, become dominated by time. I can imagine a bastard like Bounderby insisting all his worker have wristwatches in order to eliminate any excuses for lateness.

WEEK 6: WRIST WATCH

Excuse me, do you have the time? Well I don’t actually possess time, but I am wearing a wrist watch which can inform me of what time it is. I can look at it anytime I want and it will tell me what my society has declared is the exact time of day. Of course it is probably not exact, but it is close enough. Every few minutes we glance down at it so we can know what the ‘time’ is. We are usually waiting for something to start or finish. Waiting for work to end or waiting for the party to start. The only time we don’t look down at this contraption is when we are busy. When we are actually doing what we should be doing with our precious time; living. We ‘lose all track of time’ when we are immersed in our experience. Such a bizarre ritual; to stare at a machine and watch the seconds of your life tick away.