“Women fall in love when they get to know you. Men are just the opposite. When they finally know you they’re ready to leave.” — James Salter, “American Express”
Some of the stories and poems may be inappropriate for persons under 16
- A Dog by the Ears
- Abrumpo
- After the Dreaming
- Albuquerque, 1996
- All the Sobbing Cops
- apple strudel
- At Kahun, for the Health of the Mother and the Child
- burning man
- Candlelight and Flowers
- Casserole Man
- Christmas Pictures
- Dehiscence
- Descartes’ Dreams – Intro
- Desserts for the Reading of the KJV
- Dolomite
- Dropping back to Punt
- Eighth Dream – The Lion Sleeps Tonight
- eleanor in uncertain way, pulling
- Entomology
- Exit Interview
- Extinguisher (with Unpacking the Object)
- Fifteen Small Apocalypses
- Fifteenth Dream – The, uh, target
- First Dream – Puttin’ on the Ritz
- Fourteenth Dream – By the Waters of Babylon
- Fourth Dream – Motherless Child
- Franny & Toby
- Gnats
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Pickles and Fries
- Guys Come in Three Sizes
- High Street: Lawyers, Guns & Money in a Stoner’s New Mexico
- Howl
- Introduction
- Karen and the Dropout
- Kimberly!
- King of the Wire Rings
- latrodectus, loxosceles, lycosa tarentula
- Lawn
- Legal Advice
- Liberation
- Linear Perspective
- Lost Things and Missing Persons
- mama when she’s really pretty
- Metronome
- My Friend!
- Ninth Dream – Descartes’ Dreams
- Poems 2001-2010
- Rag Doll
- Road Rave
- Sandhills
- Saved
- Shelving
- Shod
- Sixteenth Dream – Scoring Six Hits
- Tahoe
- Taking Calls
- Tale of the Tribe
- Tenth Dream – The Vicissitudes of the Seasons
- The Comedian
- The Congenital Fiance
- the german for it, the french
- The Gordon Lish Notes
- The Hole of Sharon
- The Italian Story
- The Lock
- The Take-Out
- the talking french cat
- The Tellings
- The Tiny Toy Train
- The Usual Story
- The Well-Molded Military Brick
- The Year Our Children Left
- Third Dream – A Thousand Times No
- Three Very Short Fictions
- Tossing Baby to the Tiger
- Twelfth Dream – Fantod
- Vitrine
- Wednesday
- What Coy Said
- Who, what, etc.
- Yellowjacket
- Yttat
Sometimes I worry that in my heart, I am a man. I identify with personality attributes that society deems male or masculine.
Now that THAT is off my chest, let’s just say I’ve been on both sides of this (thankfully) not always true statement. One side sucks a little less than the other does.
Men and women don’t fully understand each other. In the old days this didn’t matter so much, since they were usually mostly kept apart. Nowadays they commingle everywhere, with results that are sometimes unforeseen and even unpleasant.
No, we don’t always understand each other. But trying to figure it out is part of the human experience. I appreciate the chance to set my rose-colored glasses aside and take a peek through the high-def yellows and blues.
Think how boring it would be if we always understood each other.
Think how desolate it would be if we couldn’t forgive each other.
I’ll drink to that. (Whiskey sour, with a straw since I lack the proboscis.)
XO
There’s a line in Sex, Lies, and Videotape that’s similar to Salter’s (whom I like):
“Men learn to love what they’re attracted to, whereas women become more attracted to what they love.”