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Tuesday 27 November 2012

Mixed metaphors

In a room that
is an ex-room
of bare walls,floor,
ceiling, piles of
dust and debris,
the decaying
skeleton of
a room that was,
there stands a chair --
a luxury
that's out of place,
or seems to be.
Stark contrast, then:
of vivid red, 
its velvet touch
surrounded by
shambolic room.

Such plushness speaks
in times of great
austerity.
What does it say
to you? What springs
to mind? blood? rouge?
boudoir? scarlet
woman? knocking 
shop? And do you
see which way my
mind is running?
I'm thinking: flight
of fancy. Dream.
A fantasist.

To me the chair 
is symbol for
the richness of
such fantasy;
the room denotes
its ultimate
futility,
its falling short
and leaving us
unsatisfied.

Tess Kincaid at The Mag provided the above inspirational image as prompt.

20 comments:

anthonynorth said...

You turned the room and chair into an excellent metaphor.

Lydia said...

I dream that this could be used in a classroom to stimulate discussion: literature, or sociology/psychology, or even interior design. It's that rich.

Brian Miller said...

interesting what you see...though i agree that many times fantasy is an illusion i would hope that some make their way to becoming dreams...

ninot said...

Very descriptive and ends with rebuke.

Yet, a compelling read.

Mary said...

Hmmm, I will have to think about the idea of fantasy being futile and leaving us unsatisfied. I think fantasy can also be a good escape and quite satisfying sometime though.

Helen said...

Fascinating how you coerced me to take another look, a deep look, into potential back stories and fantasies surrounding that chair. Quite satisfying I must confess. Nice job.

Anonymous said...

shambolic room - love that.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Interesting Dave - that chair is certainly incongruous - and does urge one to think of the reason why it is there.

Audrey Howitt aka Divalounger said...

Interesting. I loved where you took this prompt. And I too loved shambolic room--

Cloudia said...

*Sigh*



Aloha, Dear
from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral

~ > < } } ( ° >

> < 3 3 3 ( ' >

><}}(°> ~

izzy said...

I think (smeared) blood seems about right!

Carrie Van Horn said...

I see that to Dave.....love the way you went with this one. :-)

Wayne Pitchko said...

nicely done...thanks for sharing

haricot said...

Without the bloody rouge chair the room is just a literary skeleton...

Dave King said...

anthonynorth
Much thanks for the feedback.

Lydia
Wow! This is praise indeed. Sincere thanks for saying it.

Brian
Yes, I join you in the wish. The reference was not meant to be to ALL fantasy, just fantasies such as the one I described.

ninot
Thanks, a warm welcome to you. Thank you for visiting. I take your point.

Mary
As I have said to Brian, not ALL fantasy, only SUCH LIKE fantasies.

Helen
Thank you so much for this. The prompt was certainly rich in possibilities.

ReBelle
Good to have you visiting and good to have your comment. Thank you for both.

The Weaver of Grass
Yes, I thought that the main thing about the image.

Audrey
Thank you so much for visiting and for taking the trouble to comment. Your presence and your comment are both greatly appreciated.

Cloudia
Ah, but a sigh is so ambiguous - I use them all the time! Thanks for.

izzy
Ah, inteesting comment. I had begun to wonder if it was out of place. Thanks for your participation. Good to have it.

Carrie
lovely to have you aboard. thanks for confiding your thought.

Wayne
Much thanks for your visit and for saying. greatly appreciated.

haricot
Absolutely! Thank you for this.

Ygraine said...

Why DOES the eventual fulfilment of a long imagined fantasy always leave us feeling empty - as though it was, in reality, nothing like we'd imagined?
Could it be some sort of punishment for being human, for expecting too much?
So grateful I'm not alone in this, Dave!

Tess Kincaid said...

Yes...the chair gives a magical vibe...quite out of place...a fascinating juxtaposition...

A Cuban In London said...

A metaphor within a metaphor? What a beautiful image you have painted with your words. Many thanks.

Greetings from London.

Tumblewords: said...

Sometimes it just takes more than a chair. I love this piece.

Belva Rae Staples said...

The chair does seem out of place considering the state of the room. It does look like a good spot to let the imagination wander at will. Fantasy doesn't leave me feeling quite so unsatisfied though.