Straight Forward
Start here & go until you die, he said. What’s so complicated about that?
Stopping Point
How hard is it to make stuff up? she said. Not hard at all, I said.
The real trick is knowing to stop before you get confused.
Status
I don’t wear stuff to impress people, she said. I can’t afford it yet.
Start Up
How do you start a religion? he said.
I think you have faith & then you wait for a miracle, I said. At least that’s how it’s been done before.
He nodded. OK, he said, so it’s a lot like e-commerce.
Star Gazer
likes to navigate by the stars even when she’s just zipping over to the mall
Standards
Won’t drink a cheap red no matter how much they threaten him.
Stand Still
The loss is not yours alone, she said & you will see it in their eyes when they do not think you are watching. How long does it take? I said & she put her hand on my chest & we did not speak.
Spring Fever
a box of stuff that’ll go crazy when spring comes, but it’s pretty manageable until then
Spontaneous Makeup
I’m at my best when I’m 15 minutes late, she said. Even my makeup looks more spontaneous.
Spider Princess
If I was a spider princess, she said, I would spin webs the color of sky & catch drops of sunlight to give to children who watch too much TV & then everyone would remember to come outside to play. If I was a spider princess, she said, things would be different.
Spell Check
Does this spell anything? he said. I shook my head.
Maybe you should look again, he said, in case you missed something the first time.
Special Occasions
He kept her skin in the closet & brought it out only for holidays so not to get crumbs on it. Do you still love me? she would ask at the end of each day & he would hum her a song as he smoothed away the creases.
Special Container
This is a special container for keeping lies that you tell yourself
& it doesn’t let in any light or air otherwise they start to go bad
& there’s nothing else you can do but throw them out.
Sound Engine
this is a racing bathtub that goes really fast as long as he keeps making loud engine noises
Soul Mate
How can you be sure it has a soul? she said. You can’t, I said, unless you’ve got one yourself.
Sorrow
This is a box filled with the sorrow of all the people who have been forgotten & some day it will wash the world clean.
Songs to Herself
She waved at all the people on the trains & later, when she saw they didn’t wave back, she started singing songs to herself & it went that way the whole day & she couldn’t remember having a better time in her life.
Something True
My favorite thing is saying something true, he said, but I’m a lot younger than you & don’t have to worry so much about my reputation.
Some Kind of Ride
feels like some kind of ride but it’s turning out just to be life going absolutely perfectly
Solid Effort
It’s taken me a long time to get here, he said, so I don’t really care if it’s wrong.