Hanging fire

 

Hanging fire.

An old dusty player

The best in the world

Played across the screen

Some downfall of the world

One based on all the others

Single, large and glazed

Reflecting an old room

The eye of the century

Chiaroscuro, sat an old man in an armchair

The speech of this player was strange

Simple Science Fiction of the late sixties

The first real signs of alien life

Come visiting when we were young

Important he said

An event in history

Then there was old music

Before electronics

Old groups

 

The darkness of the room was all wood

Rare wood

The man sat in baroque darkness

The man spoke

He said

There are no great musicians anymore

And then later

This music has many many memories for me

The screen flashed as he pointed at it

He stroked the cat on his lap

Four eyes flashed

As a light faded from across the room he began to hear voices

Reviews

[Science Fiction: A Genr..]

very relevant in this currant age, it is often forgotten that we took from others to have what our society calls "ours" I like the interplay between fantastic thought and hard fact. There is more to be said in this short writing than many of the major text books on metaphysics that i have read. The reflection of thought via the boundry of time and memory....this line is maybe more true than you know...
"The first real signs of alien life
Come visiting when we were young
Important he said
An event in history
Then there was old music
Before electronics
Old groups"

[andrew mitchell]

Hi Ken this write had me thinking of the stones with their song Hang fire or Hang five, an old record player a mysterious musician in a corner possibly a legend, a blues man and a cat on the lap reminiscent of Mike Myers movie. Great read.

[Ken Simm.]

Thank you for looking up this older one Andrew. You are very kind.

[Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn..]

Ken,

Quite an interesting and mysterious read here, that is well worth pondering upon ...

Marve

[Ken Simm.]

Thank you Marvin.

[Neville]

I just love the way an artist, a good one mind, can play with a piece of charcoal and with it, create light, shade and even colour too... I sense far more here, than I can possibly hope to take in and appreciate fully, in a single viewing.. and for that reason, shall be back..... Neville

[Ken Simm.]

Have problems replying to this wonderful review Neville. I hope my thanks will go through this time.

[Neville]

those words have drawn me back several times.. no cliche intended, but true..

[Silvia - Scribo, Ergo S..]

Oh, what a wonderfully atmospheric piece! And yes, I do remember the old Hitchcock Theatre ... your story has a similar mythical, mystery quality to it ... "a man sat in baroque darkness" - lovely. xxx

[Lydia Shutter]

Alfred Hitchcock theater...I remember it well. How perfectly you have described the haunting ambiance of his stories and the show that all tuned in to see each week. Wonderful! Lydia

[Pema Dorje]

memories murmers here Ken ... reflections, like water meandering

[Greg the Bard]

This reminds me of a mystery of sorts. It is leading in that it kept my attention through out. I love the imagery and the way you worked the light into the work. The old music is a key to time passing on at a very high rate of speed. I like that a lot. Very good job.

[Emily B]

I read this a few weeks ago, I've come back a time or two since then, I had hoped some word would spark some memory, some understanding. It must be geography, the closest thing in my field of knowledge are black and white re-runs of "The Twilight Zone" and a huge book of Buck Rogers comic strips that my Grandpa owned.

[SPINNING ON that dizzy ..]

I like this piece and because i had such a good art teacher WAY back in high school I knew what you meant by
Chiaroscurio lighting - LOL (see good teachers make a difference). It is good when imagery can take you to a place and time and this does this... sort of that Alfred Hitchcock presents... or a guy in a smoking jacket (who was actually allowed to smoke...)

there is still good music - you have to look a little harder - but it is out there.

kath

[Donald Meikle]

Sounds to me like there's the devil to pay