Reminiscing
The definition of the word reminisce is indulge in a recollection of past events. When reading some of the stories in the issues of Zephyr: UNE’s Journal of Artistic Expression 2022 and 2023, there was a common theme between them, reminiscence. The feeling of nostalgia in different settings or maybe even a feeling of belonging was shown throughout these stories.
In the story, “2023” by Riley S. Patenaude, she speaks about how 2023 is the year that she graduates college and how just yesterday it feels like it is still her freshman year. She elaborates on some of her past memories and how covid seemed to rip away her college experience. She reminisces on starting school online and what that was like for her. At the end of this piece after reminiscing about her college experience, she talks about her future. “It’s 2023 how crazy is that. In just four short months I’ll be a college graduate The first in my family. What an accomplishment. I’m no longer that shy little freshman I used to be. I’m stronger now and ready to take on the real world. I’m terrified to say the least” A lot of times when people reminisce on the past they end up thinking about their future. In this situation, Patenuade did just that, and was explaining her fears about the future but the main theme was her talking about her college experience and how time flew by so quickly.
“A smile at first” by Linda Labbe, is a story that is written as if it is painting a picture for the readers to look at. She explains in detail how the ocean is a comparison to emotions. She uses the waves as different memories flooding in she uses “A smile at first, A connection, A thirst. Waves grew And knocked pebbles, stones, Pushing, connecting One memory to another My father, my son, my brother…” She then goes on to repeat the segments of “A smile at first.” The comparison between the ocean and forming connections between people and what these connections lead to painted a picture for us on how she reminisces on the people she has met
Linda Labbe wrote another story but in the 2022 version of Zephyr: UNE’s Journal of Artistic Expression, “Broken Fences”. In this story, she is explaining her peaceful place and the walk she has made many times to get there. “Days with destination. I’d walk the gravel road, days of desperation I’d follow that wonderful wooden fence, off to the left until it turned away. Changes so gradual through the years” (Page 69). Labbe reminisces on the walk to her peaceful spot where all of her worries seem to disappear. Before the story starts there is a picture of a broken fence, dirty, covered in sticks and torn apart. The picture and the storyline go along perfectly together but they each tell a different story at the same time. From the first impression just looking at the fence, the brokenness of it is all you see, not the memories, or what it used to look like while the story explains all of the memories of passing that fence on the way to her peaceful spot, and how it used to be brand new.
“No longer a little girl” by Riley S. Patenaude is about reminiscing on her past self. Who she used to be, compared to who she has become. “I miss the little girl I used to be. Who did not care what others thought, She dressed how she was comfortable, And most importantly, She took her wild imagination And ran with it” (Page 82). Patenuade continues with how she grew up and became the opposite of that and started caring about what others thought and doing what they would want her to do. She thinks back on her past memories and is fond of her childhood self.
In conclusion, a lot of these stories all have a common theme of reminiscing over the past. “2023” talks about her college experience, “A Smile at First” elaborates on the past connections she has made, “Broken fences” is about the broken fence she has walked by many times, and “No longer a little girl” speaks about mourning your past self.
