They were alike
in their thirst for knowledge,
she reflected—
not academics,
not intellectuals,
but self-taught
with the urgency
of working-class people
who never had culture
handed to them.
If only, she wished,
she might take up something
quiet and peaceful—
beekeeping,
or stamp collecting.
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Author: Renee Newlon
I am a Turkish American writer and photographer. I work in short-form prose, poetic fragments, and photography. I don’t photograph the event; I photograph the moment after the event. A few things that stay with me: Plato’s Cave, Oberg’s Culture Shock, and Beethoven’s Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours. My greatest teacher was my college philosophy professor, Sister Jane Sullivan, who taught me how to think and how to see.
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“If only, she wished,
she might take up something
quiet and peaceful—
beekeeping,
or stamp collecting.”
This line is beautiful. There’s so much tenderness in this, especially the longing for quiet. It feels very human. We all need relief from intensity and let our nervous system rest.
Thank you for seeing that. Yes—longing for quiet felt like the truest thing in the line.