Why I Write

 Why I Write
by Arlene Levin 
(c) 2023

     In my life there are moments that changed me forever.  Found in unexpected places, suddenly there is new meaning, a new direction.  Suddenly there is a new found clarity, vision, wisdom and commitment. 

     In 1982 I sat in a darkened theatre.  The house lights slowly rose as the credits began to roll.   The film was “Blade Runner”. 

     As the film ended I was stunned by the last words of the character Roy Batty, a bio-engineered humanoid violently battling against the programmed end of his life.  And then, in a moment of clarity, there was his acceptance.

     “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe.  Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.  I’ve watched sea beams glitter at the Tanhouser Gate.  All these moments will be lost in time like tears in the rain.  Time to die”.  His words burnt into my soul.

     Why do I write?  I too will be gone some day and my moments too will be lost in time.  From my long and checkered past I find stories and experiences compelling enough to share.  

     Born in 1943, how did a Jewish girl from the north side of Chicago see her world?  “I always look for the extraordinary in the ordinary, I draw out the “big” in the “small’. 

     So, for friends, for family, for the curious, I invite all, unreservedly, to enjoy my stories
at arleneinaflash.com.