X: You’re not as invincible as you pretend to be.
Y: I’m not pretending.
X: You forget, I’ve seen you curled up in the darkest corners of your life.
The More Loving One by W.H. Auden
Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast.
In a Name
My name means gift from god.
But how can I be a gift from a thing that doesn’t exist,
or from an idea I don’t believe in?
I suppose it’s the thought that counts.
Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works. click to tweet
Poverty of Compassion
When out in this city, or that one across the bay, I would often think, “These bloody homeless people everywhere all the time…”
Sometimes I still do.
Especially on the train when all I want is peace:
Better People or People with Better Things
If humans could evolve in such a way we focus on creating better versions of ourselves (emotionally and psychologically healthier, more genuine, more fully present) rather than better phones, wigs, bombs, etc., we’d be advanced enough to focus on whether or not the next better thing, whatever it is, makes us better people, instead of people with better things.
Her Body Curious: Leaps
Sometimes her body does things she can’t understand. It leaps ahead of her thoughts and conscious feelings.
If we understood ourselves better, we would damage ourselves less. click to tweet
A Universe of Atoms . . . an Atom in the Universe by Richard Feyman
Stands at the sea . . . wonders at wondering . . . I . . . a universe of atoms . . . an atom in the universe.
Funeral Blues by W.H. Auden
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.