"Never use the word suddenly just to create tension." —Writing Fiction "TENSION" by Billy Collins Suddenly, you were planting some yellow petunias outside in the garden, and suddenly I was in the study looking up the word oligarchy for the thirty-seventh time. When suddenly, without warning, you planted the last petunia in the flat, and I suddenly closed the dictionary now that I was reminded of that vile form of governance. A moment later, we found ourselves standing suddenly in the kitchen where you suddenly opened a can of cat food and I just as suddenly watched you doing that. I observed a window of leafy activity and, beyond that, a bird perched on the edge of the stone birdbath when suddenly you announced you were leaving to pick up a few things at the market and I stunned you by impulsively pointing out that we were getting low on butter and another case of wine would not be a bad idea. Who could tell what the next moment would hold? Another drip from the faucet? Another little spasm of the second hand? Would the painting of a bowl of pears continue to hang on the wall from that nail? Would the heavy anthologies remain on their shelves? Would the stove hold its position? Suddenly, it was anyone’s guess. The sun rose ever higher. The state capitals remained motionless on the wall map when suddenly I found myself lying on a couch where I closed my eyes and without any warning began to picture the Andes, of all places, and a path that led over the mountain to another country with strange customs and eye-catching hats suddenly fringed with little colorful, dangling balls.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Aug 2013 01:25:46 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015