Inspirational
Sense of Directionlessness
cursed with an unerring sense of directionlessness even when things are going well
Secret Names
After he was quiet a long time, words began to come to him in dreams & told him their secret names & this was the way he learned the true nature of the world.
Seconds
This is a bag full of eyes that stopped seeing the amazing stuff a long time ago, so he’s hoping to unload them cheap.
Secret Heart
The secret is not in your hand or your eye or your voice, my aunt told me once. The secret is in your heart. Of course, she said, knowing that doesn’t make it any easier.
Saving Up
saving up a bag full of peak moments she’s going to have someday if she can ever get away from all the same old stuff that’s holding her back & you can pretty well guess how it’s going
Run Proud
He taught me to run high on my toes. I will always remember his words: run proud & remember you are alive.
Riding the Pony
When I was younger, my favorite thing was riding the pony outside the Safeway. My dad always said I should save my money for something better, but I could ride for miles all over the West & always end up back at the Safeway & all it cost was a quarter & I still can’t think of anything better than that.
Right Practice
It’s hard to say the right words without practice, I said & she whispered in my ear, Say them as many times as you like & we practiced late into the night.
Riding Home
You may not remember the time you let me go first. Or the time you dropped back to tell me it wasn’t that far to go. Or the time you waited at the crossroads for me to catch up. You may not remember any of those, but I do & this is what I have to say to you: today, no matter what it takes, we ride home together.
Remembering
You have to remember to make it all over again every day, the angel said to me. Otherwise it goes all to hell.
Real Hero (masc)
Anyone can slay a dragon, he told me, but try waking up every morning & loving the world all over again. That’s what takes a real hero.
Real Limit
How many people can you love before it’s too much? she said & I said I didn’t think there was any real limit as long as you didn’t care if they loved you back.
Real Name
I can remember walking down the street, saying my name over & over, until all of a sudden, it didn’t sound like my name anymore. It didn’t even sound like a word at all & then I stopped & the silence rushed in & whispered words that sounded more like my real name & I smiled & thought to myself how surprised my parents would be when they found out what a mistake they had made.
Real News
One morning she decided to throw away the paper & listen to the real news & by the end of the day, she knew that while people were sometimes confused, the rest of the world was not & she slept that night for the first time since she was a young girl.
Real Reason
There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other’s cooking & say it was good.
Real Reflection
That’s not my real reflection, she said. I’ve changed so much since then most people barely recognize me.
Re-set Button (masculine)
he discovered his re-set button early on & there were not many things that bothered him all the rest of his days just because of that
Real Dream
This holds a promise to all the children of the world, which is how you can tell it’s a real dream of America & not one of those dreams of fear & death that glitter so brightly on tv.
Raspberry Patch
My great-grandmother sent us out to pick raspberries in her garden while she watched the first moon walk on TV. You’ll have plenty of time to see things like that, she said, but those raspberries were carried overland by your great-great-grandfather. She was very wise. I see pictures of the moon walk all the time, but all I have left from him is the memory of those sun-warmed raspberries.
Quiet Spaces
We had gone far enough together to listen easily in the quiet spaces.