Themes
Too Much Stuff
I try not to collect too much because having stuff takes more time than you think. But then again sometimes it’s good to stay busy.
Toothpick Fence
He built fences of whole boxes of toothpicks because he didn’t have enough money for redwood. I know it’s small, he said, but I don’t want everybody just thinking they can walk right in & some day, it’ll be bigger. Fences take practice for everyone.
Tofu Pup
taunting the neighbor’s dog with meat-flavored tofu because he can’t get anyone else to eat it.
Tolerance
Do you ever listen to me? she said & I said I did but sometimes it took a couple of days to sort it out in a way that didn’t make me want to murder her in her sleep.
Tight Perm
If you get a tight enough perm, she told me, it’s almost as good as a face lift. But she had worked around a lot of toxic chemicals in the 60’s, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt.
Tightrope
Most people she never tells about the tightrope because she doesn’t want to listen to their helpful comments from the ground.
Tilt-a-Whirl
I remember the lights of Atlantic City reflected from her glasses & there was the tilt-a-whirl right as she kissed me & I spun happily in circles for a long time after that.
Time in a Box
This is a box filled with all the time in the world & most people are amazed it fits in such a small space.
Timeout
If you kill your brother, she said, you’re going to get a huge timeout.
Timing
There are moments when I’m completely at peace, but it’s usually before my children wake up & they’ll have none of that.
Thousand Moments
I still remember the day the world took you back & there was never time to thank you for the thousand scattered moments you left behind to watch us while we slept.
Three Blind Mice
I tried for a whole summer to teach our cat to play the piano. We started with an easy song. It was 3 Blind Mice. My dad said it didn’t work because the cat had a tin ear, but I think it was because she kept looking around for the blind mice the whole time & never gave it her full attention.
Tidy Dinosaur
You have to admit even though I’m a dinosaur, I’m rather tidy.
Tiger Rain
Her umbrella was filled with rain she had collected in her travels & on hot summer days she would open it up for the neighborhood kids & we would splash in the puddles & then it would smell like Nairobi or Tasmania & later on we would sit on the porch & eat ice cream & watch for tigers in the bushes.
Thin Skin
Only her skin between her life & a return to the great wide ocean
The Wonder of It All
Sitting there in your pajamas & all the time in the world & if I could keep any moment it would be this: watching you & holding my breath with the wonder of it all.
The World Itself
When she held out her arms, the world itself wrapped around me & held me tight.
Theory
trying to remember when it stopped being theory & turned into real life, because theory was a whole lot easier
The Whole World
My favorite thing is being your lap while we sit there together & love the whole world.
The Wind What Blows
This is the wind what blows, he said, & it lives in a jar in my bed & his eyes were big with the knowing of all that.