He's not exactly the reason i've chosen to write. In fact, i came upon his work later than most. I still remember when i first received "Nine Short Stories" and "Franny and Zooey" as a gift from a friend. I thought, how peculiar that he gave me these and not Salinger's more well-known book "The Catcher in the Rye", which i hadn't read either. I thanked my friend, but i don't think i ever properly thanked him. I couldn't know how those books would alter my views on the world.
I haven't fully processed what his passing means to me. I expect the impact will last and grow as time passes. I will, as i do every three months, turn to one of his books for comfort and revelation.
As a frequent writing exercise, i would try to craft a sentence or two that would tell a very vivid story. I saw them as a challenge J.D. made to me personally.
In his honor, i leave you with a few:
- She wrinkled her nose while chomping on french fries which she pretended were her nagging mother's fingers.
- Through the congested grove of trees, i could see two lovers resting on the sandy river banks, playing with eachother's hair. The girl laughed, then sighed, her head falling onto his arm.
- His sunburnt face looked up at me as i passed. Squinting, he smiled from the right side of his mouth. He offered me a slice from his apple. I told him that i wasn't hungry. In fact, i was incredibly hungry.
- She skipped, leading with her right foot, while her left hand dangled from the two longest fingers of her hurrying father.
3 comments:
Deity, Sir
"She wrinkled her nose while chomping on french fries which she pretended were her nagging mother's fingers."
Like a puppet master pulling strings, I felt the corners of my lips curling upwards as I read your words, envisioning a paper container full of thin salted fingertips.
"She skipped, leading with her right foot, while her left hand dangled from the two longest fingers of her hurrying father."
I doubt I will be alone when I say that image resonates within me. There are no hands like my father's and the memory of me clutching his thick fingers as I tried to keep up with his pace will forever be a treasured memory.
Your words are beautiful Deity.
Thank you.
~a
Deity Sir,
i am new to Your blog and have been reading voraciously. i think this is a perfect tribute honoring a literary hero. i couldn't match goodgirl's response, but i wanted to say bravo and thank You for sharing.
~d
goodgirl,
It's interesting that you enjoyed that sentence (the french fry one). At first when i found it in the pages of my notebook, i didn't recognize it at all. That's an oddity. I can stumble across something i wrote 20 years ago, and still remember where i was sitting when i penned those thoughts. It took awhile for me to find myself in it.
My words are pleasant. Salinger's words were beauty. Which was confirmed to me this past weekend when i re-read the "Bananafish" story.
dawn,
Welcome to my bjou. Thank you for your kind words. I hope you continue to enjoy my site.
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