The question persists, does the ideal bench really exist? Is it just a literary metaphor for happiness or a real spot where one can pause for a while and enjoy nature? The ideal bench is a place of contemplation, of meditation, of the sweet "far niente".
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088B3MPT8?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860
The ideal bench was just a poem in the beginning. This poem that I wrote in 2013 has given inspiration for a writing project. I was seated here when I wrote it, on this very bench which you see as larger, or first from the left, in this photo.
In 2018 I decided to dedicate my free time to a writing project called "The ideal bench". Every Monday I would post on the internet a literary text related to a real or metaphorical bench, just for a few friends, with some photos.
The friends liked this idea and started sending me their own photos of benches from all over the world.
Some people I knew even gave me hints for certain texts and after a full year, I had written around 50 short chapters, one for each week of the year.
Here they are now, my selected few, my favourites, in the form of a book which invites readers to sit comfortably on a bench, breathe some fresh air, and enjoy thoughts for all seasons.
Lito Seizani