reflections on life – Page 13

a black and white man looks at a black and white cityscape where colorful clouds are coming

The enemy of good

Published on 16/08/2023 by Maciej Modzelewski1 Comment

While life is still in technicolour, I like watching it in the sharper contrast of a black-and-white
motion picture. And so you can imagine my irritation when I see on the silver screen a pale, flat
palette of colours instead. Where does this strange trend come from, and why? There is a saying
where I come from that better is the enemy of good, which basically means if you start messing
with something that is already fine, you will ruin it. I cannot argue with that after seeing Scarlet
Street colourised. I just hope they never touch Nosferatu.

The language of demise

Published on 16/08/2023 by Maciej Modzelewski1 Comment

My first child was never born—the foetus failed to develop a heart and died.
The doctor assured us that we had nothing to worry about because, in the first
pregnancy, such things happen often—kind of a false start—and the next one
will be perfectly fine for sure. What really struck me then was the discrepancy
in the language. I guess the child occupied the parental realm of the possible,
while the foetus was the clay-cold reality of medicine.

My daily slice of bread

Published on 15/08/2023 by Maciej Modzelewski3 Comments

Bread-making came to me out of necessity rather than some newly discovered passion
for baking when I found that the daily loaf was slowly ravaging my guts and its pricey
replacement tasted more like a piece of cardboard—not that I ever tried it, but I imagine
the sensation would be similar—than anything even remotely resembling my favourite
multigrain. Years of experimenting gave me something quite likeable—a bit heavy, more
on the chewy end like pumpernickel, with an intense aroma and spicy aftertaste. I guess
even an illness can do you some good sometimes.

A woman and a man leave paradise into the void of the unknown

Paradise Lost, or something like that

Published on 15/08/2023 by Maciej Modzelewski1 Comment

Being immortal seems like such a hassle. Personally, I do not mind
the expiration date—all the bodily needs are what really bother me.
Imagine taking care of that ad infinitum when there is only so much
you can do to spice it up. Even after boredom eventually killed your
spirit, you still had no choice but to perform the daily rituals. So stop
finally whining about paradise lost, because in fact, it was a desperate
escape from hell.

a distinguished gentleman is having dinner in a full restaurant

If only I were a spirit

Published on 14/08/2023 by Maciej Modzelewski1 Comment

While it has always been nothing more than an annoying but unavoidable chore, I find eating
to be a rather intimate activity, which is why I do not see much difference between a restaurant
and a brothel, where, purely because of some social convention, I have to spend the equivalent
of a week’s worth of home-made dinners on something my body is going to excrete a few hours
later anyway, just to show all the strangers occupying every inch of space around me that I have
impeccable table manners.

An accidental light sleeper

Published on 14/08/2023 by Maciej Modzelewski1 Comment

It is four in the morning, and I should still be asleep, but how, when there is breakfast in Kyiv,
lunch in Melbourne, and dinner in Seattle? I had been tossing and turning in bed for an hour
now, thanks to my neighbour’s plod on the creaky stairs. And the weird thing is that I am not
a light sleeper. So, it turns out that when this actually happens, there is not a large enough
flock of sheep.

a man on the wharf near the car looks at the sea

Destinations

Published on 13/08/2023 by Maciej Modzelewski1 Comment

I have heard about one-time dreamers who did not belong anywhere.
Sometimes I wonder if I am such a person myself. When I was born,
the authors I read were already long dead, some even before the first
road to Rome was built. The same applies to films, with the exception
of Roman roads, of course. I even sang “La Vie en Rose” with Satch
on rainy nights while practising the art of desynonymizing in the world
of appearances. And after all these years, I am fond of… Well, I actually
cannot think of anything at the moment, though I am sure there must be
something. But I have learned one thing: Some destinations are meant
to go there; some are only for changing planes.

A woman is looking at a man who is sitting in an armchair with his hands behind his head

Elocution lessons

Published on 13/08/2023 by Maciej Modzelewski1 Comment

I thought a bet was all it would take, but I forgot that we are responsible for what we tame,
dear Eliza. On the other hand, are you absolutely sure that throwing the slippers in my face
is what you really want? You must know that changing me, if at all possible, is not a matter
of simple elocution lessons.

A woman on the street tries to stop a couple in love

Mind what you sign

Published on 13/08/2023 by Maciej Modzelewski1 Comment

Passing couples in love on the street, I get jealous, but I also feel sorry for them.
They do not know yet that what they feel is just chemically induced infatuation,
not much different from inebriation, which distorts their perception of each other.
They are not aware that under the surface lurk reefs on which this brief illusion
will crash eventually, and the only thing that can save their skin is not a signature
on the marriage certificate but a well-prepared prenup.