Incite Full

I just spent that last hour and a half writing a description of a candle. It, at first, seemed like a silly exercise. And i kind of wanted to say that. But then i got an idea- Why not write my description of the candle in such a way that i can get that point across? So i give you, Candle:

I would say it’s orange, but that’s not what Ikea would call it. Sunflower? Citrus Salmon? It’s the last candle you use in a power outage- the kind of candle (an entire bag full, no less) a man gets for his first apartment, striving for class and warmth. Lighting the candle, my nose reels from the sulfur in the match. It’s been so long since I used one. But no Sunflower or Citrus Salmon flavor saves me. Small at first and staying that way, the flame is bored. Standing around like a teenager next to a wall, uncomfortably shifting positions from time to time. I get closer to the candle, the kind of close that would unnerve a mother- a yawn here would put out the flame. But I’ll wait for the small pool of wax now formed to do the job for me. The warmth I feel on my nose is slight- the kind you’d get from your girlfriend or boyfriend breathing on the back of your neck while you sleep. But it’s enough to make me notice my hands are cold. Soon, the wick will be blackened and cold, but for now the end of the wick is a burning ember- bright orange, even Ikea can’t argue with that.

A lot of other’s in the class took the assignment differently. I was frustrated with all those who used the “dancing” metaphor, especially when we were asked not to. Directly. And most people fused the description with so much more. Most people used it as a memory, something small to talk about something big. Another guy went way out there and talked about the futility of life and how it’ll extinguish itself. It’s just a candle, man. You’ve got to make it important first.

I also am noticing my writing is a lot different from others. I don’t use big words, or try and flex my vocabulary muscle very often. It’s fun at times, but i like curt and brutal words. Don’t sugar coat it, just smash my face in it and move on. Other people in the class, for better or for worse, need the perfect word and cliche the hell out of things. see: dancing flames, relating candle flame to life. It’s frustrating that all of these people respond with “Amazing writing!” and praise for things that, while written well, rehash everything that’s been said about a candle before.

“The best thing about getting old is that it doesn’t last that long”