S

“fr. 2
All We as Leaves
He (following Homer) compares man's life with the leaves.
All we as leaves in the shock of it:
spring-
one dull gold bounce and you're there.
You see the sun? - I built that.
As a lad. The Fates lashing their tails in a corner.
But (let me think) wasn't it a hotel in Chicago where I had the first of those - my body walking out of the room
bent on some deadly errand
and me up on the ceiling just sort of fading out-
brainsex paintings I used to call them?
In the days when I (so to speak) painted.
Remember
that oddly wonderful chocolate we got in East
(as it was then) Berlin?”
― Anne Carson, Plainwater: Essays and Poetry

“Again, Let Me Tell You What I Know About Trust

—not a damn thing. So let me tell
you what I know
about forgiveness—this joke can go on
& on, see?
I guess I'm trying to understand
what makes a man
carry guilt the same way he would a
bat.”
― Hieu Minh Nguyen, Not Here

“One more thing before you
leave: once, I chose a man
because he looked how I imagine
you would now. Soft hair & a flat
smile. I asked him not to speak. I
asked him to slap me.”
― Hieu Minh Nguyen, Not Here

“Those are my speed holes. They help me go fast,”
― Tamsyn Muir, Nona the Ninth