LINDSEY’S WRITING PRACTICE: Reality vs. Illusion

Lindsey's Writing Practice Banner: Woman with giant pencil standing next to stack of giant papers. Bookshelves in the background. Text: Lindsey's Writing Practice with Lindsey Martin-Bowen

Reality vs. Illusion

With a little help from our friend, George Harrison, here’s a comment about this age-old controversy that pervades literary themes, world events, and of course, the media:

Within You Without You

We were talking—about the space

between us all

And the people—who hide themselves

behind a wall of illusion

Never glimpse the truth—then it’s far

too late—when they pass away

We were talking—about the love we all

could share—when we find it

To try our best to hold it there—with

out love

With our love—we could save the world

—if they only knew.

Try to realize it’s all within yourself

no one else can make you change

And to see you’re really only very small

and life flows on within you and without

you.

We were talking—about the love that’s

gone so cold and the people,

Who gain the world and lose their soul—

they don’t know—they can’t see—are

you one of them?

…

—George Harrison, lyricist, musician, and former Beatle, Feb. 25, 1943-Nov. 29, 2001.

@1967, Northern Songs Ltd., England.

Yes, I omitted the last six lines, which focus upon “seeing beyond yourself.” Yet they aren’t necessary for the following exercise:

Write either a poem or a short story using Harrison’s lyrics as the THEME. In other words, you’d NOT TELL the reader this theme, but you’d create a scene or two that illustrates the theme—and hopefully evokes the reader to “see beyond his or herself” after reading your poem or short story.

About Lindsey Martin-Bowen

On Halloween 2023, redbat books released Lindsey Martin-Bowen’s 7th poetry collection, CASHING CHECKS with Jim Morrison. Her 4th collection, Where Water Meets the Rock, was nominated for a Pulitzer; her 3rd, CROSSING KANSAS with Jim Morrison was a finalist in the QuillsEdge Press 2015-2016 Contest. In 2017, it won the Kansas Writers Assn award, “Looks Like a Million.” Writer’s Digest gave her “Vegetable Linguistics” an Honorable Mention in its 85th Annual (2017) Contest. Her Inside Virgil’s Garage (Chatter House Press 2013) was a runner-up in the 2015 Nelson Poetry Book Award. McClatchy Newspapers named her Standing on the Edge of the World (Woodley Press/Washburn University) was one of the Ten Top Poetry Books of 2008. It was nominated for a Pen Award.

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This segment of “Lindsey’s Writing Practice” is sponsored by Undawnted.

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