54 Comments
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John Rawlinson's avatar

Slowly the back story emerges through glimpse and observation, telling detail and emotional honesty, nailed on retrospective wisdom. Even the architectural landscape makes its contribution. Your style is so uniquely your own the reader sinks happily into your literary arms. Write on. Write because you must. And thank you.

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thank you for the encouragement! It means a great deal.

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John Rawlinson's avatar

Your voice is special and speaks for itself. Do not hide. X

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DiagnosisInLove's avatar

Beautiful, sad, tragic, and frozen.

I see you each time I allow you to dream. Unafraid to shout how I survived.

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thank you :)

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DiagnosisInLove's avatar

Thank you! It was like a birthday present

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Dusk Daughter's avatar

Also… you just conjured a winter railroad memory of mine from childhood. It may be fun to tease that out.

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Deer Girl's avatar

Yes, please. I love reading winter scenes!

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Dusk Daughter's avatar

Then it shall be so. 🥶❄️🛤️

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Libertarian's avatar

One of my railroad memories was in the summer when as a teen a bunch of us juvenile delinquents were given axes and machetes to clear the brush away from underused tracks. What could go wrong?

Another more fun one was when a French girl I met in a Mediterranean port dive bar and we later took the overnight train up from Naples to Paris for my Christmas leave from military. We stopped in every village 😂

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Deer Girl's avatar

Ok, that sounds really fun!

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Libertarian's avatar

I’m a little worried you’re referring to the first paragraph…

Btw like how I left it open for the reader to imagine their own “ending”? I’m learning from you. Bwahaha!

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Deer Girl's avatar

Definitely the second paragraph!

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wildflower's avatar

„We were still young enough to believe cold was temporary.“

Love these lines!! 🤍

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thank you! 🫶🏻

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Elizabeth Lamont's avatar

You never disappoint, Deer Girl. Between being frozen in Scotland (I spent several Christmases with a Scottish great-aunt) and the references to drunken hazes and the library toilet of Faulkner's south and pretending to know more about it than you do (my American ancestors were Confederates that my grandmother actually remembered, she sat on their ancient laps as a child, and bored me to death about "Mr. Faulkner"), and, oh, the young men who bullied and seduced with Economic and Political Theory, while we were trying to figure out ourselves, this world, and own strengths, well, I related too well. 🦌🤍

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Deer Girl's avatar

I love that you have your own complicated history of Faulkner, frozen Scotland, and theory-slinging boys!

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Dusk Daughter's avatar

Speaking of detail! Love this so much—plus I love the freezing cold. Going to get ready for bed and read it again just before. x

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Simone Senisin's avatar

Wow, I love this ... I can see it, taste it and feel it.🖤 🙏

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thank you Simone! 🖤

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Judi Lynne Judy, M.A.'s avatar

“Somewhere, always, a violin was tuning.” I love the beginning paragraphs when you are in summer, singing to midges. This feels so sad to me, and so keen a story about growing up and beyond choices we make. It’s always good, your writing. Each time I will thank you, for being here and for doing this lovely work and sharing it with us. Judi

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thank you Judi 🫶🏻

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Judi Lynne Judy, M.A.'s avatar

You are welcome and good morning!

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Deer Girl's avatar

Good morning! 😊

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Luis Rosa's avatar

Oh my, I love these winter vibes, DG!

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thanks Luis!

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Sandra Murzin's avatar

Loved this...cool,beautiful,mysterious. For the last three weeks the heat index here has hovered around 104F...extremely high humidity like getting slapped with a wet,musty fleece blanket.Reading your story,I could almost feel a wisp of cold creeping in...aaahh...could see that twilight,gloaming thing I love so much. Thank you,Deer Girl,your writing is amazing.💜

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thanks Sandra! Humidity has been very high here too; it’s why I’m dreaming of winter.

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Sandra Murzin's avatar

You're welcome! I dream of winter too,we don't really have it here.

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Libertarian's avatar

104F and extremely high humidity! Yikes. Stay hydrated.

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Sandra Murzin's avatar

Yikes is right! My cats and I always guzzling water...☺️

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frank l's avatar

So much going on in such a small capsule.

A summer scene.. then a winter scene... And the flashbulb keeps going off, capturing the players with their complex dramas and emotions being exposed.

... Then the fade.

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thanks for reading! 🖤

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Natalia’s Daydreams's avatar

wow loved this one

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thank you 🖤

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DOMO CAMPOLO's avatar

Lovely. Very tasty piece. Well done deer queen! 🦌

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thank you 🖤

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Michael John Hulley II's avatar

Nice! 🙂

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thanks :)

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Michael John Hulley II's avatar

You’re welcome 🙂

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Deer Girl's avatar

🖤

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J A Allison's avatar

This is raw and luminous, full of memory, disillusionment, and the aching weight of youth caught between idealism and desire. The sense of liminality is everywhere, between seasons, between politics and performance, between wanting to change the world and wanting to be seen. The writing hums with cold tension. Each image so textured and immediate. “Ghostlight in a city gone still” and “I’ll be a better Marxist next time” will stay with me. It feels like both a confession and a farewell.

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thank you; I love all of these observations. They’re spot on.

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ramblingrose's avatar

hiii i love ur writing and wld love if you get a chance to read my piece from today!! im trying to connect w writers i like their writing styles 💌💌💕💞

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Deer Girl's avatar

Thank you; I’ll give it a read 💗

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ramblingrose's avatar

thanks soo much i love connecting w other writers genuinely fills me w sm joy<3

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