A notice on description...

[jkdavies]

Today, I noticed things.

I noticed the squished conkers crunching again under the car tyres as I drove to work, and the conker-like man, a Danny DeVito lookalike, from the back at least, a shiny tan leather jacket and a nut brown tonsure exposing the paler crown.

I saw that again, now for the third day, the traffic lights at the crossroads were literally on the blink, flashing only the amber light to all directions while above the clouded sky looked like grey metallic velvet, rubbed up the wrong way.

Blue emergency lights reflected briefly from the river as I crossed the bridge, and at the next lights I saw the raindrops/smear/raindrops/smear patten on the windscreen of the car in front; looking in my wing mirror the rain fell like straw, all pale sticks lit up by the headlights of the car behind.

I hadn't noticed the drive to work for a while, I am not sure for how long, and as I observe the bus ooze up into the lay-by beside me, and a nearly teenage girl start running towards it, towards us, determination in every swing of the arm and bounce of the shoulder bag; as I see this I think about why I notice things today.

It is you, you feel like a permanent enough part of my life that I can pass the times we type to each with trivia, confidence that sometime soon I can lay my cloak of words over you and snuggle underneath with you; and I notice, notice that all this is only built from words and I don't know whether to press the send button and bring you to my side...

[Brittany]

ditto, ditto, ditto. damn this is good! love what your Mum said too. Sensorymazing stuff!!

[jkdavies]

Thank you all! I had the following explanation for this post over at my blog:-

"This post was prompted (not only by a drive to work) but by a conversation in 6S whereby it was implied that poor description was only to be expected due to depression. I have been depressed before, and expect I will be again, but I always felt some of my best writing pieces to be products of perhaps a strong depressive state albeit mixed with frustration and anger at myself. Maybe I wanted to prove I could write in a more optimistic frame of mind too!"

Certainly your comments have allowed me to believe (in spades) that I can write optimistic too!

Michael B - you must have been prescient - the intended has postponed the getting under the cloak - so I am going out tonight to drink red wine in the sunshine and eat steak off a hot stone :)

[Edward Dean]

The only thing I can add to all the other remarks is WOW!

Most excellent piece Julia.

[Bill Floyd]

This changed from pretty cool to WAY cool at the end.  An observation to an invitation.  I'm RSVPing.

[Jamie Hogan]

So I'm late to the party and all the specific greatness has been mentioned. And there is greatness, here. You know what you do? You partner with me, as a reader. You pull me aside, away from the din and say "Let me tell you - just you - what happened today." That's a very real and unique talent.

[Sandra Davies]

As I said yesterday, I am conscious that I rarely do the original descriptive stuff ... but can only assume that Julia has greedily inherited it ALL from me, and left me none  ;)

(but I can't deny that she has added her own particular genius and exceeded anything I could come up with)

Marvellous poetic observations, all of them.

[Kristine_ES]

julia, i agree with cita; this is one of my favorite's by you. 

it appears you've knocked us out with your noticing things!

[Michael Brown]

I ♥ this one also. Everyone has already mentioned the reasons why I, too, feel that way. This is like a bundle of poems, as yet undelivered to their intended recipient, and you gave us a first peek. If your intended demurs at getting under that cloak of words with you, I'm next in line.

[jkdavies]

a conker is the nut of a horse chestnut tree - more here

[Robert Crisman]

"Gray metallic velvet, rubbed the wrong way." Loved that one; also the bus that oozed. You do have a way with words! I have a question, though: what's a "conker," and--perhaps more to the point--what's a conker-like man? Danny DeVito crunched under car tyres?

This was just flat fun to read...