is it a vacation if you spend it in the pits? time off swimming in sewers, splashing barefoot in dirty streets — gutters gushing, flood waters overflowing and too frightened to feel your face… eyelids twitching and overcome with grief yeah, this isn’t work,
I like the phrase slumdog sabbatical. It's true. Not all work life is the same. And some people can never take a vacation. Well said fellow writer. The creatives out there will all appreciate and understand this.
I can’t wait for my break next month, I’m doing both though, the beach plus writing. We’ll see if I end up with a tan, beach all day, beach all night, writing on the beach sounds amazing.
I can relate! I've worked my entire life at jobs I disliked just to have time for what I loved, i.e., gardening, painting, writing. If I had been born an aborigine, perhaps work and happy-making efforts would have been the same. Perhaps I should go live in the jungle with the natives. I dream of that.
Thank you, Franco. You finally gave me my long sought identity, "art dog." Like a a gym rat, I've been an art dog for decades; theater, music, dance, and now writing. I gotta hang out with guys like you(I mean that in a universalist, non-sexist way) to give me internal rhymes like, "spit on the s*** below." I love it. Your sardonic, wry sense of humor bleeds through, like pentimento, no matter how deadly serious the content may be. This is a very serious poem. It's the dilemma for all artists in our society. Gotta get that day job to keep the wolf from the door and yet maintain the robust passion. Otherwise, what's the point.
Jun 5, 2023·edited Jun 5, 2023Liked by Franco Amati
This is so relatable to me, Franco. I'm reminded of all the 16 hour shifts and nights I worked just so I could enjoy a bit of time off to write. The sabbatical was never long enough in those days. I always longed for one more day of nothing but writing. But when my coworkers asked how I enjoyed my time off, I didn't have much to say.
I love this way of thinking about the time we need to carve out of our lives to be able to write. Your phrase "slumdog sabbatical" is going to stick with me.
slumdog sabbatical
I like the phrase slumdog sabbatical. It's true. Not all work life is the same. And some people can never take a vacation. Well said fellow writer. The creatives out there will all appreciate and understand this.
What a nice ride through Franco Land!
I can’t wait for my break next month, I’m doing both though, the beach plus writing. We’ll see if I end up with a tan, beach all day, beach all night, writing on the beach sounds amazing.
Ridiculous but true in so many cases. Slumdog glam.
I can relate! I've worked my entire life at jobs I disliked just to have time for what I loved, i.e., gardening, painting, writing. If I had been born an aborigine, perhaps work and happy-making efforts would have been the same. Perhaps I should go live in the jungle with the natives. I dream of that.
Thank you, Franco. You finally gave me my long sought identity, "art dog." Like a a gym rat, I've been an art dog for decades; theater, music, dance, and now writing. I gotta hang out with guys like you(I mean that in a universalist, non-sexist way) to give me internal rhymes like, "spit on the s*** below." I love it. Your sardonic, wry sense of humor bleeds through, like pentimento, no matter how deadly serious the content may be. This is a very serious poem. It's the dilemma for all artists in our society. Gotta get that day job to keep the wolf from the door and yet maintain the robust passion. Otherwise, what's the point.
This is so relatable to me, Franco. I'm reminded of all the 16 hour shifts and nights I worked just so I could enjoy a bit of time off to write. The sabbatical was never long enough in those days. I always longed for one more day of nothing but writing. But when my coworkers asked how I enjoyed my time off, I didn't have much to say.
I love this way of thinking about the time we need to carve out of our lives to be able to write. Your phrase "slumdog sabbatical" is going to stick with me.