I Read 'the Great Gatsby' In High

He Made Me Think Of All The Books I Hadn't Read, And All The Ones I'd Read But Hadn't Fully Understood.

He'd Never Had To Make The Adjustments And Compromises Other People Accepted Early In Their Romantic Careers; Never Had A Chance To Learn The Lesson That Sarah Taught Him Everyday--that Beauty Was Only A Part Of It, And Not Even The Most Important Part, That There Were Transactions Between People That Occurred On Some Mysterious Level Beneath The Skin, Or Maybe Even Beyond The Body.

There's Not Some Finite Amount Of Pain Inside Us. Our Bodies And Minds Just Keep Manufacturing More Of It.

My Mythic Version Of America Is Very Much About Parents And Children, And In My Experience, The Suburban Setting Is Where That Particular Drama Plays Out. Which Isn't To Say That There Aren't Parents And Children In Cities Or On Farms. I Just Don't Know Them.

Sooner Or Later We All Lose Our Loved Ones. We All Have To Suffer, Every Last One Of Us.