Exercise 3

Prompt: Write one paragraph with sentences of 7 words each, and write another paragraph that is one sentence

PART ONE:

I took my time by the mirror. My eyes drifted up and down repeatedly. For a moment I would be contented. Maybe I was finally good enough, perfect. Then my eye would catch the fault. One small little fault, making me grimace. Then another ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty. My watched beeped, screaming out “you’re late!” It was going to be for nothing. That golden opportunity would escape from me. I groaned at my reflection and fled. There was not enough time, never enough. “You’re late” was all I could hear. Finally, my destination was in the distance. I forced myself to stop gasping. I begged to see my reflection again. What if I looked like a troll? I couldn’t stop imagining my disheveled hair. Then, I saw him approaching towards me. This was it, I had made it. I held my breath as he passed. “Oh, hello!” he said in blessed recognition. “Hey,” I replied calmly with feigned poise. We exchanged smiles and the moment ended. I tried to calm my beating heart. Then, I couldn’t stop the joyful outpour. My spirit jumped, danced, leapt and sang.  Then the subtle pain seeped back in. There was never enough time, never enough.

 

PART TWO:

We all waited in silence as he sat there, fingers poised and ready, our anticipation growing with the time, for there was something different about his music, or so we had heard from street corners and banner ads that littered the walls of the city symposium, which, it should be known, was one of the best repudiated in the state, but hush �" was the master about to begin? �" alas, no, he was reaching slowly and delicately for his notes, layering on the tension in the room as we waited, balanced on the balls of our feet like little children �" but as I mentioned, the best in the state was our symposium, and who should be the best pianist in the best symposium in the state but this gentleman here, on whom we all waited patiently and diligently; it had been no easy feat, I tell you, to gain an audience with this man, for as it is well known, with great fame comes great anonymity, and this man had not had a moment to spare for the public between compositions and private concerts �" and believe me, the wages to be made off of these concerts were large enough to overlook any volunteer appearances �" ah a twitch! he was ready at last, me must be, for his fingers were twittering away in the air as though rehearsing their upcoming dance across the keys �" but what was that? the master was doing finger exercises; these devilish little exercises would take at least another ten minutes and the night was waning, and I was suddenly greatly aware of the ticking grandfather clock in the corner, and for goodness sake I do believe that was quite enough, so, getting up from my seat, I left the uncomfortable little hall �" which coincidentally wasn’t a hall at all, but had been fashioned out of a hospitable woman’s living room �" called a cab by the street corner, ignored the musician’s smiling poster as it flashed across the cab window, reached my quite little apartment and promptly went to bed.