By Matthew Mahaney
Edison’s wife became infertile from handling his various light bulb prototypes. A fertility test, hastily conceived by Edison and consisting of a spring-loaded scale, two hypodermic syringes, and several feet of gauze, confirmed this. While the impossibility of children was a strain, what eventually drove her to leave was the faint, persistent hum of electric lights that filled their house. In frequent letters to her sister, she complained about “the bright fog of sound ever present in this place” and said her dreams were “filled with yellow swans, their hissing glow spreading out over the water as if to suffocate it.”
This is interesting, but seems to have no meaning. Well-written, tho.
What meaning does a flower have? I like this a lot. I think the shorter pieces tend to become more sublime and akin to poetry at thier best and the meanings sometimes are just softer and more subtle. Technology suffocating the individual? There are plenty of things to find in this. And really there is no reason to find anything in it at all for it to be good. Philosophy is feeling. I like the light bulb as swan.
Yes, “sublime” is a great word to describe this piece. I thoroughly enjoyed it. For me it alluded to to the precarious balance we strike between our humanity and technological progress. It is also just well written. You have an engaging writing style.