I use my office as an office. I work at my desk. Until this week, I piled junk on the table.
I did not choose to write in that room. In the room I painted in the basement.
The table was ready. It waited for me.
In our previous house, I wrote at the table. It sat next to a bright window in the kitchen. I drank coffee there. Flowers brightened vases there. I spread composition books there and read novels there.
Here, the table sat alone in the corner under a small dark window in my key lime office. Until this week, I wrote upstairs. Until this week, the table gathered dust instead of words.
The candle changed everything.
At the beginning of the soccer season, my son and I carpooled with a friend to Winston Salem, NC, for a tournament. The boys warmed up. Lisa and I sought a Krispy Kreme. The donut king is headquartered in Winston Salem. Lisa told me about donuts in L.A. About how the neighborhood Krispy Kreme staff knew her family.
I told her about swerving across lanes of traffic in Savannah for the neon red “Hot Donuts Now” sign. About how I owned Krispy Kreme stock.
Lisa and I bonded over donuts. We bought two dozen. We delivered them to parents on the team sidelines.
Last weekend, at a different soccer game, Lisa said, “I have something for you.” She pulled a small cellophane package from her bag. In it was a green and white polka-dotted box marked “KK.” The box was a bit smaller than a Rubik’s cube. In it was a donut-scented candle from Krispy Kreme.
Back at home, in my office, I cleaned the café table. I removed the candle from its box and placed the candle in the table’s center. During the week, the donut candle burned. I worked. The candle flickered on the round table.
It made me want to write there.
The candle transformed the room. Now, each morning, I sit at my writing table. The candle flickers there. I drink coffee there. I spread composition books there and scratch words across the page there.
As mentioned in yesterday’s post, The tension between sentences, for this post I attempted to write only in simple sentences or fragments. A compound or complex sentence may have snuck in. Simple sentences are hard!
I love the story and the simple sentences.
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Nice. Knowing Hubby and his love of doughnuts, he’d probably try to eat the candle and be dismayed there was no filling inside!
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The short sentence structure works well with the content. And as for the content – delightful.
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Simple sentences and fragments worked A. I didn’t notice them in reading. And they added to the energy of the piece.
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I light a candle in my writing room and have classical music playing softly. It sets a peaceful and creative mood.
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I would gain five pounds from the cravings that candle would inspire!
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Bringing light into a room makes so much difference, candlelight can be really powerful, as can clearing clutter & cleaning windows.
Thanks for explaining the short sentences-I thought it wasn’t your usual style x
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Strong work!! The simple sentences read seamlessly and inspired me to try a candle in my writing space, too! I have always loved candles and never thought to burn them while writing. Thank you! 😊
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I have many good childhood memories associated with Krispie Kreme donuts. Nothing else tastes like one. Alas, I can only have them very rarely now as an adult (being diabetic and all). Thank you for bringing those memories back to the surface. :D. 🙂
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…must find donut…
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Simple sentences are a must! Very nice piece. I want a donut candle now.
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