Thursday, January 25, 2007
The Chronicle
It sat on the top of a huge pile of garbage in a dump that was soon to be turned back into green space. The images inside showed smiling faces, laughing babies and holidays filled with love and joy. One image was quite remarkable. It was an image of a young woman sitting on a park bench surrounded by small children. Every face looked serious and their clothes attested to the fact it was some time in the early 1920’s. Images like this exist in many places that is not what made it remarkable. On the back of the picture hidden from view were the names of those who had posed for the picture, one being the owner of the photo and the book that contained it, and if you knew history and understood what had happened in Russia during the Revolution you would have known why another name, the name Anastasia Romanov was remarkable. But it sat there on that heap of trash forgotten by those who had loved the one who had cherished it. She had died years ago and as it passed from generation to generation it become nothing more then one more book to be stored. And finally when it passed to the great granddaughter and she got married and started her own family it was abandoned, this chronicle of one woman’s life was thrown on a trash heap and would soon disappear for good. And once more a history would be lost forever.
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19 comments:
Very nice, we are at risk of losing history in our over busy over bustling lives. My first visit to your blog, looked around a bit and enjoyed your entertaining and concise writing.
Very nice, illiciting sadness and warmth.
It reminded me though of story where in the middle of urban decay, in one tiny crack, grew a dandolion. I can't remember the title, but wanted to mention it. I guess I need a thought of hope after reading your post. I guess because the story stirred a need to pick up the photo, though unreal.
:) Good job.
Wonderful! This made me think of those little black and white photos that either you or Clover had found in Bulgaria-I think in Samokov- that were of a big Bulgarian family having a picnic all dressed up in their fine clothes. Do you remember that? This post makes me sorta sad as that will be all of us someday far from now our faces smiling out of the trash heap. Well thanks for starting my day out on such a happy note!
I was at a loss as to how to proceed with this weeks prompt. Your post inspired me and reminded me of a similiar memory. It's sad to see someones life abandoned on the trash heap- it gave me a strange homesick feeling.
Thanks for the beautiful and thought provoking piece.
this was a great post. I love to collect old vintage photos and incorporate them in to my art. I love the sense of history and wonderment that these people once passed before us. To me, these photos are treasures. Like road maps to a distant past.
really nice post - it's been a blast peering into your blog, you write very well.
i especially like the robot post :)
Very clever - a kind of what if ... yet very real so that it could also be fact .. keep 'em guessing kind of writing. Evocative.
Ah Heather...this may be my favorite yet! Excellent. :)
A sad story.
Very intriguing. You have lovely writing style.
Pictures are so precious- sometimes they are all we have left of our memories...
Wonderful and sad story...
You do have a way with words. I like this very much.Beautiful memories in pictures.
gautami
rooted.
Very thought-provoking post. I have recently started volunteering; visiting an elderly lady who is almost blind and very hard of hearing, ailments which leave her feeling isolated. She has lived an incredibly interesting life yet no one seems particularly interested in hearing about it. When she dies one day, what will be left? Who will remember?
Nice prose taking us back through memories and photos. As an artist, I relate to your nicely crafted words. The chronicle tale flows smoothly.
(This is my first week trying S.Scribblings. I'm smiling at your work. Thank you!)
The sad truth of your post is what makes it so poignant and helps most all of us identify with it. Very nice job with this not-so-obvious topic.
Very nice. Our minds went in similar directions. Mine is about forgotten graves.
Why is the past so readily discarded?
So often here in the city you'll pass by a building and see old suitcaes and boxes of things waiting for the trashman. And you just know that someone's life is in there. It's so sad.
When my grandmother passed away all the family photos became mine.
Some were of her and her children in the early 30's. They are so beautiful. I bought a scanner to make copies of the photos before passing them on to my daughter.
Thanks for sharing.
That's my fear: that history will be lost. Because people don't learn from history, the same horrible situations in the world (famines, genocide, oppression) happen over and over again!
Wow, you manage to squeeze the tragedy of that lost book into such a small, well-told, little story. VERY touching!
Jim
P.S. - thanks for the cover props! :)
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