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J Murray's avatar

since feeling is first

who pays any attention

to the syntax of things

will never wholly kiss you;

wholly to be a fool

while Spring is in the world

my blood approves,

and kisses are a better fate

than wisdom

lady i swear by all flowers. Don’t cry

– the best gesture of my brain is less than

your eyelids’ flutter which says

we are for each other; then

laugh, leaning back in my arms

for life’s not a paragraph

And death i think is no parenthesis

E. E. Cummings

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Shooter 6's avatar

Lillian Fishman is brilliant.

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David Rensin's avatar

Your conversation inspired me to buy the book. Loved it. Thank you

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Mary Gaitskill's avatar

I'm glad!

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Shooter 6's avatar

Same

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Eric Kaplan's avatar

if I can't--if women can't--trust their own bodies how can we trust anything? Critical or gender theory? Those things are legitimate but they could never trump my own bod! If you believe that something else can constantly be worming its way in to the point that you think its you but it isn't really...how would you do anything? -- I love this.

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Liz Boyle's avatar

"I expect (I don't know exactly why) to become more emotionally governed and less obsessed with analysis as I get older--just because I expect to trust myself more and feel less suspicious of where everything comes from. But maybe it won't go that way at all." This is what I think about as I wonder about Trans issues and medical interventions for children, especially prior to puberty, and especially given the predatory pharma industrial complex.

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Mary Gaitskill's avatar

Interesting connection, how are you making it?

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Liz Boyle's avatar

I made the connection in thinking about what a lifelong journey it is to know your own body and mind. It's never ending. To me, it requires patience and a sense of wonder. I respect the unknowns about our bodies and minds. As a 63-year-old, it feels as if so many changes take place over time. Nothing is static.

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Mary Gaitskill's avatar

I understand, thank you!

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