Five Minute Challenge: Rembrandt Writing Prompt on Death
Today I came across an interesting writing prompt I wanted to share with you guys. The above painting is The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt. The prompt is to write a piece from the perspective of the dead man (or his ghost) observing the scene around him. The catch is, you only have five minutes to do it. No editing after, and no overtime. Just write for five minutes and see what you get. Tell me how it goes! I'll include mine below. Let me know what you think.
They were fascinated by me, these men. Their hearts, hardened by academic pursuit, saw no grief in my passing. In life, I'd have picked their pockets clean. In death, I could only watch them pick me clean. Vultures, tugging at my empty flesh. Even so, I sift through their coats for old time's sake. Comforting myself with the familiarity of entering another man's belongings, running my thumbs over the little pieces of his life. The first carries nothing but a pocketknife and a few papers. He imagines himself prepared for any situation, foolishly believing he's much too clever to ever take my place. The next coat holds a wallet, a pen, a bit of twine, and a hand. He spins the twine around his little finger. I make him nervous. He's lost a friend recently, and knows better than any of those gathered around my empty shell that his life holds no more meaning than a frayed bit of string.
Feel free to put your piece in the comments. I'd love to read it!
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