This article was pretty nifty... the author conveyed the emotions she felt in a way that made the reader almost understand what she went through
--SNBV
01/15 |
"Cezanne's Pear," by Ingrid Schorr captures the wonderful (literally!) juxtaposition of the spitual and the mundane like a Blake poem or a Dore' etching, not to mention a Cezanne still-life. Just look at the simple power of these few words: "Nuts and tits, I thought. They sounded like spare parts. We traded a few chemo stories of smell hallucinations and metal mouth, marathon craps and crushing fatigue. The warmth of his lamp felt good, the buzz of the tattoo gun and the pressure of his hand calmed me." She lets us see her feelings, feel her thoughts, and hear the reconstructive design of her very being. This is some of the best writing I've seen anywhere, including some I've seen in "Doubletake," possibly the most expressive of the print journals I read. As a man in his fifties who has seen the effects of all types of surgery, not only on friends but also on me, I share Ms. Schorr's desire to "run through the water" in a black trenchcoat, buck-naked, and flash the hoi polloi just once (never did it when I was in my twentiesöclearly, a chance missed!) But since that's possible only in my imagination, and current reality suggests that I still hurt from my second by-pass surgery, I want to thank Ms. Schorr for providing a "painting" of words that allows me to feel someone else's pain and her partial triumph over it. For perhaps that's all we'll ever get out of this particular gallery in which we find ourselves: a bit of melancholy, some serendipity, maybeöif we're luckyöa kind of catharsis, and a sense of who we are, possibly in broad orange and yellow brushstrokes, like Cezanne's Pear.
--CD
01/10 |
Hello. First off I would like to say that its takes quite an amount of courage just to write an article like this. You have shared something with all of us here on the web that is really beautiful. I especially appreciate the tattoo I am an 18 year old (male) artist myself. I would also like to say that I find society's dictates of what is supposed to be beautiful ridiculous for the most part. They are shallow and materialistic. Often times it is a persons "flaws" that makes them beautiful. True beauty comes from within and you are beautiful.
--LW
01/03 |
That was an amazing article....I am so very moved. Just two weeks ago, I found a lump in my breast. I am having a biopsy...I am deathly afraid of needles. I am only 24. Thank you for making such a scary time not seem so lonely for me. As the doctor says, it may be nothing...but I am afraid. I am afraid of being...flawed. Thank you again for such a real and straight-spoken article...
--JH
12/28 |
I just have to tell you when I read this I cried and breathed a sigh of relief. I too am a breast cancer survivor diagnosed young and dealing with the cancer and the breast issues. I was relieved to know that I was not alone in my fear and in the fear of unveiling which I have avoided for almost two years. My boyfriend left me after the diagnosis and I havent been with anyone since. I am afraid to tell my story to the next man - afraid he might leave too. After reading this article I felt a little hope that some men can go beyond the body and see the bravery. Thank you so much for your story
--CB
12/10 |
What can I say... my god... I was moved... to tears??? I'm not sure myself... thank you for your honesty. You made me think... I won't forget.
--AK
12/07 |
Good for you, Honey. Good for you, brave one. Every person has a scar, and a lump or bump or something that's not quite right, just like me, a man, whose lump is on the inside. So, though yours is much worse than mine ever was,and I will never know your pain or struggle, I think you have a lot of friends out here. If you haven't read it, may I suggest "Angela's Ashes". For a prespective. For me, it was like re-living the horror of childhood, but it reminded me of just how good the present moment is, or CAN be, if I let it be. Thanks for sharing your story. Were I single, and we met, I don't think I'd care a whit. I think there are a LOT of men who share my feelings. Like Randy Travis sings about hair turning gray, " I don't care, I ain't in love with your hair... "
--NCF
12/01 |
I was very moved by this piece, it made me cry, even before I realized that the author is a woman I have met.
--KAR
11/24 |
I was very moved by this piece, it made me cry. I didn't notice the author's name until I finished reading it--and then I realized she is someone I have met. I knew she had breast cancer--and I am glad she has found a way to make art from it.
--KAR
11/24 |
I was very moved by this piece, it made me cry. I didn't notice the author's name until I finished reading it--and then I realized she is someone I have met. I knew she had breast cancer--and I am glad she has found a way to make art from it.
--KAR
11/24 |
That was a beautiful story. Thank you or sharing it.
--JA
11/23 |
Ingrid,your story, so beautifully written, has inspired me. I always took my pleasing, but far from perfect body for granted: firm breasts, shapely legs, flawless skin. As my body ages its imperfections increase and so does my awareness: spider veins keep multiplying, muscle contour flattens, the butt sags. And yet, ironically, nearing fifty, I have a tremendous libido, more than I ever had when I was young. I recently had an affair with a much younger man. After our initial encounter which was incredibly erotic, I "confessed" that I was menopausal and took estrogen. He was shocked, but said, "You must really trust me." Better to risk rejection and know what kind of person your with than hide your imperfections. I don't waste time with people who cannot accept me for who I really am.
--KTO
11/23 |
Wonderful article. I read it while waiting 2 weeks for a second mammogram because the doctors said "there's something we want to check out"--and going thru all the freaking out that entails, and mentally going thru a lot of the stuff Ingrid talked about here. More from Ingrid! Great writer.
--rg
11/22 |
Haunting and inspirational writing. You've made yourself more attractive than a fully-equipped Victoria's Secret model, and done so with nothing more than your words.
--jm
11/21 |
I'm not writing because I've had a similar experience, I'm just writing to say I think Ingrid Schorr is one of the best writers I've ever read! I read Nerve a lot and this was one of the best pieces you've had. More Ingrid Schorr!
--TV
11/19 |
You wrote , for the most part exactly how I feel about myself . I had Breast Cancer too only both breasts were removed and silicone/saline implants were put in place of my breasts . I had to have the implants removed due to one of them rupturing . Now I'm flat and disfigured from all the scars that I got from surgeries I've had . I'm still uncertain of how to get past these feelings of vulnerablity but at least I know that someone out there understands somewhat of what I'm going through . Thanks for the article it means a lot !
--T.H.
11/19 |
Beautiful. I'm currently living with a failed reconstruction and undergoing chemo. Your words really touched me. Thank you.
--HLP
11/18 |
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