16 Comments

Pat, you are truly the master of the second-person (a POV that is very difficult to bring off). I especially like what you do with the interlayered times here, something else that can be tricky. I no longer keep up with short story contests, but this one would be competitive, I think. I enjoyed it!

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This all means a lot coming from you! I think sometimes I use this POV with stories that have difficult bends in them. There's no rhyme or reason to them before I begin, like suddenly the Ali/Fraizer fight came on and it just brought back those difficult early marriage days. Anyway, writing is all an experiment, isn't it?

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A turmoiled and beautiful journey. And so it goes....

With so much love, el

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Wow, another writing tour de force, Pat! Comparing the Ali-Frazer fight to your early marriage, then bringing in the tenderness of now, is just brilliant, along with the use of the second person. I’m in awe!

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Oh Ruth, thank you! I don't know what to say except your support is so valued!

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Dear Pat,

How special you are. You take us to every corner of your life, from the past to the present and back again and it's so precious. So normal, so loving, so cranky, so special. ❤️

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You know how much the cranky rules over all, right?

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I stop what I'm doing to read whatever you wrote. And I'm glad I do. Thank you.

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Oh Dianne! You made me tear up! Truly

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The parallels of fights is brilliant. You elicited a buried memory when I tried to escape from yelling in front of the kids.

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Done that, too! It's a wonder my sons still love me.

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You beautifully wove together the personal with the story of the Ali/Frazier fight. Thank you for the gift of your writing.

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Thank you for your art AND your writing

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So happy to click hearts for your writing Pat! Who knew in that attic, filling the air with The Fight of the Century, that you would remember what was going on in your life at that time because of it! Well done! Big Ali fan here even though I now have no interest in boxing. The man had way more going on then his amazing boxing skills! Oh how we need more men like him ... and I might add your swell husband! Keep applying pen to paper! And be well soon.

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Thank you Sandy! I feel the same way about Ali. I maybe watched 3 at most 4 fights after one Tyson fight. One of the pleasures of writing this was watching the fight so many times. And Fraizer, too--he was a good man. As always, love you for hearting this!

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Yes, I agree about Fraizer, too.

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