Themes
Temptations
The plane shook so much I thought I was in a bowl of metal jello & I heard him say, If you & Mom die, can I go live with the Temptations?
Ten Commandments
I asked her why she never told us about the Ten Commandments & she said she wasn’t ever that good with numbers so she loved everything as best she could & I remember thinking who needs all those rules anyway with a mother like her around.
Teaching Right
She asked me if I had kids & when I said I did she said make sure you teach them what’s right. & I said how will I know? & she nodded & said, good point, just don’t teach them any obvious wrong then.
Teeth in a Box
These are teeth in a box & it swallows up all the mean things in the world & holds them in its jaws until times start to change.
Tell The Truth
It would be easier if I just told the truth, he said, but I wasn’t there for a lot of it
Temp
I don’t mind being a temp, she told me. It reminds me of my priorities.
Taller than Usual
Does everyone seem taller than usual? she said & I said that’s what happens when you stop pretending you don’t care.
Tallest Man in the World
I’m the tallest man in the world, he said, so I’ll have to miss dinner & I said too bad about missing the ice cream then & suddenly he found he fit quite well at the table if he let his legs stretch down the hall.
Survival
Some days I wonder how my kids will turn out, but most of the time I’m just figuring out how to survive them right now.
Swing Dancing
this looks like swing dancing but really it’s just moving around the floor trying not to bump into anybody else
Sympathies
Whenever he sat in the swingset it got tangled up. He said it was demons in the steel that were drawn to the sweat & sorrow of the steelworkers across the generations. Plastic doesn’t have those sorts of problems yet, he said.
Talent
I’m probably best at going where I’ve already been, she said, but I get bored with it pretty quickly
Suburbanite
I’m the last person you should ask about weird, he told me, I was raised in the suburbs of America
Successful Holiday
Rules for a successful holiday: 1. Get together with the family 2. Relive old times 3. Get out before it blows
Such Small Things
For a long time there were only your footprints & laughter in our dreams & even from such small things, we knew we could not wait to love you forever.
Summer’s Night
It was a summer’s night & the smell of the old rose bush was as heavy as rain & she asked me in & I followed her up those stairs till morning.
Stretching Out
I’ve been doing these Chinese stretches that are supposed to make you live longer, he told me.
I just hope I’m not this sore the whole time.
Strict Followers
Trying to follow in the footsteps of the masters, but it’s a lot harder than it looks because even though they had the same size feet as us, they weren’t looking down the whole time while they walked to make sure they were doing it right.
Stuff
Even if I only need this stuff once my whole life, she said, it’s worth it & besides, I paid too much to get rid of it yet.
Stuff Cave
cave filled with stuff that people will kill for, which only goes to show you how confused people are about important things