Man Is Not Truly One, But Truly Two
a microfiction
What’s the measure of a man?
A cloud of cigarette smoke engulfs the painting before him. It’s a masterpiece, surely—the painting, not the smoke cloud. The lines? Perfect. The technique? Masterful yet subtly innovative. Never jarring, it’s a piece that can be admired by both laymen gawkers behind a velvet rope, and crusty professors hanging onto their thesis as it gets iterated to irrelevance.
The artist pulls another drag. It burns every cell in his lungs, dopamine now for an early grave later. He chuckles.
He watches as the tip of paper and tobacco smolder. A sharp exhale and an ember would consume his masterpiece, for it was a masterpiece, and he needed no critic to confirm that notion (though, of course, they would).
What’s the measure of mankind? He watches the embers. How many intrepid Neanderthals would have murdered him to have fire at their fingertips while here he sits, flipping a lighter open and closed?
Who deserved the Lamborghini parked outside his flat, the CEO or the lady in Baltimore whose great-grandpa picked the cigarette tobacco?
He takes another drag, struggling to untangle the liminal space between his masterpiece and his cigarette.
Iterations on iterations on iterations, all for him to sit there before a masterpiece, rolling a cigarette between stained fingers. It strikes the artist that most people only knew of Sutherland because Churchill burned his portrait.
He flips the lighter open and holds it between the cigarette and the painting.
What’s the measure of a man?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N:
If you've enjoyed this, please leave a like and an insight below. If you really enjoyed this, tips to fuel my coffee addiction are always appreciated. All formatting is designed for desktops. All my works can be found below:
About the Creator
Matthew J. Fromm
Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.
Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).
I can be reached at [email protected]
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Keep reading
More stories from Matthew J. Fromm and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Boons and Curses
Before him lay his doom. Exasperated, Imperator Valatious collapsed into his chair. Beyond the hide walls of his tent, the evening air hung disquietingly still. He ran his weathered hands through a grease-stained mane of brown hair, uncut since the campaign began.
By Matthew J. FrommExclusive • about a year ago
The steps to losing a child
Step One: Lose a child. Not what anyone wants to happen and nothing you can do to change it, but you can go through steps to becoming happy again. You can go through steps to loving again. You can go through steps to become a new you because after losing a child you will never be the same person you once were.
By Tabitha Hinkley4 days ago in Fiction
Comments (7)
What an excellent character driven micro! Some intriguing layers in this
I can't wait to see what the future holds; after catching a glimpse of the first line, I'm already eager to experience the whole journey. wonderful✨
Does it have the same impact if you burn it yourself?
Oh, I really, really like this piece. Your words were so visually potent that I felt like I was choking on cigarette smoke. A thought provoking view into the artist's mind.
I really enjoyed this :) Very thought-provoking with an interesting perspective. Great writing!
Enjoyed this thoroughly. You have a talent for description.
No!! I liked the Neanderthal line especially, Matthew. Great image/analogy.