Themes
Enough Fluid
I try not to cry about everything I’ve done wrong she said, because I don’t get enough fluids as it is already.
Enough Time (Feminine)
Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life.
Enough Time (Masculine)
Everything changed the day he figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in his life.
Enough Time (No Gender)
Everything changed the day I figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in my life.
Epiphany
She saw herself reflected in the store window & then the sun changed & she disappeared & all she could see was her eyes & she remembered thinking, I make a very nice floor lamp & that was the day she decided to quit her job.
Equal Treatment
Why do they treat us like children? they said & I said why do you treat them like adults? & their eyes opened wide & they began to laugh & talk all at once & suddenly everything looked possible again.
Early Life
I try & get a lot of living in early in the morning before everyone else gets up, because after that, it doesn’t seem so much like living as it does putting up with stuff.
Easy Going
I get along better with my relatives, he said, now that most of them are dead. (Big rocks so they won’t be able to get out early)
Easy Option
I’m not that good at live & let live, she told me, when it’s just as easy to avoid & then I don’t even have to think about it.
Egg Coffee
He told me the best way to make coffee was to add an egg, so I did & he looked at the strands floating in his cup & decided to have tea instead.
Empty Spaces
After his father died he carried his life more gently & left an empty space for the birds & other creatures.
English Major
When I told him I had a major in English, he said, too bad for you this is America & he started me out at the bottom.
Discovered the Moon
When I first discovered the moon, he said, I gave it a different name. But everyone kept calling it the moon. The real name never caught on.
Discretion
I think if I was a woman, he told me, I’d have sex a lot more than all the women I know & I’d definitely stay away from people like me & my friends
Distinguished
You’re lucky, she said. You’ll only get more distinguished as you get older.
Down Time
I can read minds, she said & I said, OK & she said, Do you want to know what you’re thinking? I said no thank you. I don’t do stuff like that on weekends.
Dream World
I mainly want someone to tell me I’m right & then pay me, he said. Is that too much to ask?
& I said as long as you’re living in a dream world, you might as well make it work for you.
Dress up
It’s the only time I feel like me, she said, & everyone else just thinks it’s dress-up.
Dropping Like Flies
I like people until they give me reason not to, she said. Some days they just drop like flies, though, she added.
Duty
My great uncle shot & killed his own brother for disturbing the peace & I wonder if anyone ever tried to quiet his deep deep sorrow. Duty isn’t consolation enough.