Themes
High Places
He carried a ladder almost everywhere he went
& after awhile people left all the high places to him.
High Standards
I’ve got pretty high standards for someone who doesn’t have any use for them yet.
High Tolerance
What are you good at? I said
& she said, Mainly life.
I work best with stuff
that has a high tolerance
for mistakes.
Her Laughter
The first time her laughter unfurled its wings in the wind, we knew that the world would never be the same.
Hawaiian Shirts
I have seen him in Hawaiian shirts, she said, so there is nothing hidden between us
Heading South
They drove south one winter until they could stand outside with no coats on & we never saw them again.
Hearing Voices
I used to hear voices a lot, but then I read up on it & found out they don’t exist, so now I don’t listen to a word they say.
Heaven II
She said you know what heaven is like? & I said I wasn’t sure & she laughed & said grown-ups didn’t know much at all about important stuff & I said I had to agree with her even though I was one of them myself.
Hanging on Tight
Of course I hang on tight, she said. You can’t believe the kind of stuff that happens when you let go.
Happy Camper
What if we all got along & people loved each other & sang songs about peace? he said. Would that be a good world? & I said I didn’t know about that, but it would be a good summer camp & he looked at me & shook his head & said, It’s no wonder you’re leaving us with such a mess.
Hard Choice
I don’t really like coffee, she said, but I don’t really like it when my head hits my desk when I fall asleep either.
Hard Work
Why is peace so hard? she said & I said peace is easy. Keeping our mouths shut is hard.
Hard to Forget
I was waiting for such a long time, she said. I thought you forgot. It’s hard to forget, I said, when there is such an empty space when you are gone.
Hard to Impress
hard to impress because she’s already seen the sun rise today & it doesn’t get much better than that
Hate to Mow
He told me once that he never planned to settle down. It’s not that I’m afraid of commitment, he said, I just hate to mow.
Half Alive
You can have a plain hot dog if you want, he said, but until you’ve had a real polish sausage you’re only half alive. I decided there were worse things & I was only ten & could correct the serious mistakes later & the plain dog tasted just fine, even being half alive & all.
Half Naked
only half-naked in her dream that night because everybody else was completely naked & she just had to be different & when she woke up, she finally figured out why she spent most of her free time by herself.
Halloween
I heard that the big kids soaped the windows on Halloween & all we had was a box of Tide & I couldn’t reach the windows anyway, so I poured a big pile of it on the neighbor’s doorstep & I never figured out how my mom knew it was me until we had kids.
Handy Fact
why aren’t people dogs? he said & I said because we can pick up newspapers with our hands & that made sense to him.
Greed
I was greedier when I was younger, he said to me, because I was stronger & could lift more.