My head is swirling with lots going on, including a soon-to-be-released novel, so I'm cheating with this post. I'm bringing back my most popular IWSG post of all time. He's legendary. He's inspiring. He historical, so historical that he's 225 years old. Ladies and Gentlemen, let's warmly welcome Mr. Benjamin Franklin!
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Ben Franklin strolls on stage, decaying and fraught with cobwebs, yet extremely
polite.
Robyn is too anxious to talk. Trembling, she takes a large stride towards
him but then slips and falls on her butt at Ben’s feet. Oh *bleep*! God,
I mean
*bleep!* I’m so sorry. Ben chivalrously helps Robyn stand up. A red-faced Robyn extends a
hand to offer a formal greeting. Ben instead confers a fist-bump and Robyn reciprocates. They then bump hips playfully and plop down into their respective La-Z-boy
recliners.
Ben: Not to
worry, a slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.
Robyn: Um, yes, well my tongue slips too, but only on
very rare occasion. *Bleep!* Oh sorry, I think I’m just nervous. I mean, you’re
Ben Franklin, philosopher, author, inventor, American diplomat and all-around hero who’s
been dead for 225 years.
Ben: My dear, fear not
death for the sooner we die, the longer we shall be immortal.
Robyn: Good point. On behalf of all Americans, Ben, I wish you a happy
Independence Day. We have so much to thank you for. I don't know where to start.
Ben: No need for platitudes. Where liberty dwells, there is my country.
Robyn: I see. Well this is my Insecure Writer’s
Group Post for July, so I'd like to ask for advice for all of us writers
who struggle with insecurities.
Ben: Certainly.
If you would not be forgotten
As soon as you are dead and rotten,
Either write things worth reading,
Or do things worth the writing.
As soon as you are dead and rotten,
Either write things worth reading,
Or do things worth the writing.
Robyn leans in closer to Ben's face, appearing to
listen intently. Instead, she is lost in a heated sexual fantasy involving Ben, a feather-dip pen, and no electricity --with not a thought to the fact that Franklin died 225 years earlier.
Ben continues, with clarity but no
logical string of thoughts:
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools
do.
Beware of the young doctor and the old barber.
Interrupting (she likes young doctors), Robyn
says: Thank you so much, Mr. Franklin. I hope to see you again, frequently and often. She flings her hair back, stands up, gives him a
wink and nuzzles Ben's arm as she escorts him off the stage and towards a nearby Motel 6.
Ben Franklin continues:
By my rambling digressions, I perceive myself to be growing old.
He’s a fool who cannot conceal his wisdom..
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Dear blog friends, whether or not
you celebrate Independence Day, may you appreciate our countless freedoms –
including and especially our limitless opportunities to express ourselves through writing.
Keep writing things worth
reading and doing things worth writing.
YAY FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY! WOOHOO!
Happy July 4th!
Thank you, Ben Franklin ~ 1706-1790. May
you continue to rest in peace.
The italicized quotes above were found
at www.quotationspage.com,
jpetrie.mywebluga.edu, and www.goodreads.com/author/quotes.