Working the Wire - Freewrite #216 - Wire
It is terribly stressful being in a relationship with an acrobat. I made him call me, after every performance, whenever he was overseas on tour with the Cirque de Soleil.
The time he toured with them when he was required to wear an elephant head was disastrous for my health. Paulo would call me, at my insistence, after each performance, which meant with the timezone difference that he was calling me at 4am. I kept having nightmares about collapsing elephants, about elephants walking the power lines outside my house and collapsing in on my bedroom, crushing me to death.
When Paolo's acrobat work dried up, I was secretly pleased. And also dreadfully guilty because he was miserable. Walking the wires was in Paolo's blood. Having to go back to work as an electricity linesman made him feel like the world was topsy turvy.
"I'm meant to be on top of the wire," Paolo said sadly. "Not on the bottom of it."
Of course, then I used to worry that he would get electrocuted.
Paolo began sculpting with clay as a hobby. He became more and more proficient. He began making large human sculptures. They were beautiful. He got his first exhibition. A magazine article. A commission from a rich client to work in steel.
Paolo was working on a new sculpture for his second exhibition. He was so excited about this sudden change in direction for his career. I stood watching him as he bent wire, making the armature that was the sculpture's skeleton. His body screamed happy.
"This," I said, "in your career with wire, this is my very favourite, on-the-ground version of all."
"Hmm. Well, actually. .." he said hesitantly.
Apparently Paolo was making a video as part of his exhibition. A video where he was walking a tightrope above the art gallery. It became the first of a series of increasingly elaborate escapades for the "acrobat sculptor".
I think fondly of the brief anxiety-free period when Paolo was just a sculptor, not an acrobat sculptor.
But I guess some things are just in your blood. Like benzodiazapines are now in mine.
This is today's post for @mariannewest's #freewrite challenge. Today's word prompt is wire
This is such a great interpretation of this prompt! The premise of it is hilarious and so creative. And the last line is the perfect way to end it too. It's subtle but it ties it all together.
It always amazes me how it all comes together! So much fun playing in that space where you don't even know how you're bringing it all together until you do :)
Nice one! I seem only to have a grumpy part to my mind. How do I cultivate that twinkly part that does freewrites?
it's myself again standing in for byn withy your prompt for today:
https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-217-5-minute-freewrite-thursday-prompt-appetite
Fairy bread, pop biscuits, ginger beer :)
That's beautifully written. I love the way you built a roller coaster in such a short space. I had to find out what benzodiazapines were - which made the line at the end even funnier for me.
Well played.
Thank you very much! I'm glad the last line make you laugh; that's what I was hoping for :)
Wow! I honestly believed this was you writing about your life. Wonderfully written, so casually conversational and believable.
and: 'Like benzodiazapines are now in mine.' made me laugh pretty hard :D
Oh cool! Thank you :)
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