So Close

"I had wanted to make the drive up to Cornish, New Hampshire, to see J.D. Salinger since a junior-high teacher scolded me for using curse words in my writing. The assignment was titled, "What Thanksgiving means to me," and in the course of 250 words I managed to employ no fewer than 20 "jesus christs" and half as many "fucks." The powers that were didn't let me off when I explained that I wasn't really taking the Lord's name in vain—hence the lower case lettering—and the "fucks" were art."

http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2010/01/i-went-to-jd-salingers-house.html

Shift

I've driven miles to see you.
  Spent hours on the road.
  Crossing bridges in front of me
and burning those in the past.
  White lines speeding by
like cocaine on the darkest nights.
  Streetlights showing the way
to a girl that I used to know.
  Pumping the brakes
to slow my heartbeat,
as the thought of you
accelerates
the blood flowing through my veins.
  Keeping my eyes open
as time takes its toll.
  And I pay the price
that only lovers can afford;
Leaving me empty handed
absent minded
and blurry eyed.
  Hoping that the distance will
not prove to be too much,
and me not enough.

All Is Not Fair...

be careful when you fall in love
especially when you are young

don't give away your heart too easily

but don't keep it all to yourself either

expect to make mistakes

try to forgive yourself

anticipate the fights

but be grateful for making up

you are going to cry at some point

your partner will too

never hide your tears

cherish every kiss

every hug

every holding of hands

don't make promises you cannot keep

don't keep yourself from making promises

always mean what you say

make love when you want

not only when you can

and don't take cuddling for granted

those are the moments you will miss the most

showering together can be both the best and worst decision you will make

you will learn to love it

if you are lucky enough to be in love

then be sure to give more than you receive

don't be selfish

unless it's together

and even then it should never be about you

go dancing

if only for one night

if only for one song

you'll understand why it's so important afterwards

cook together at your own risk

you will have to go shopping

there is no way around it

as much as you want it

and as hard as you work for it

you will never be perfect

that is a good thing

you two may not last forever

you may not even last a night

but the time that you will have shared together is all that matters

you can read these words

you can try to apply them to your life

but know this

you will forget everything the moment you stare into that person's eyes

and start falling

hoping that you'll be caught

and when you finally land in those gentle arms

you won't be afraid of this thing called love anymore

and frankly that's all that matters

The End of the 00s: Made in New York, by Joel Johnson

"I had a short affair with a Chinese acrobat who had formerly been a lawyer, until one evening I ended up at a birthday party with a man who revealed himself to be her other partner in such a way that it thrummed every insecurity I had. I looked him in the eye, picked up his whisky and drank it in one shot, set it down in front of him, and said "Happy Birthday." I then went home and cried."

http://www.theawl.com/2009/12/the-end-of-the-00s-made-in-new-york-by-joel-johnson