Saturday, May 30, 2020

Say Cheese!


Think of it, were they (the writer, producer and director

of such things) to make a movie of my life, of the two or

three hour variety in length, the editors would step up and

have a heyday slicing and cutting


away all the boring and mundane scenes which amounted

to nothing of interest to anyone who may be curious in

viewing such a thing. No, I think perhaps a black and white,

artsy docudrama, a silent film of 15-minutes or so, the


type with an unsteady camera flashing still shots in a

series of me looking into the camera and progressing in

age from two-years old to my current age of 73. The

music bed would be playing, perhaps William Barber’s


Adagio for Strings, a haunting but stirring piece. No

narrative portion would be needed, the pictures and

musical score would carry the theme. The audience may

note that I never smiled in all those drab and unimposing


scenes. How sad, he seemed to take life so seriously.

You think of yourself, all those pictures taken, birthdays,

holidays, celebrations, vacations, momentous occasions,

and some drunken dodo with a camera tells everyone to


say “cheese.” Those are the infrequent highlights in life,

dear viewer. Who but the consummate artist would

pose for the unaccountable and uninteresting remainder

of it? Where are the lighthearted poses of joy and jubila-


tion in Rembrandt's portfolio? Why, even da Vinci’s

Mona Lisa is barely amused.


                                   -30-

Chris Hanch 5-30-2020


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