“
Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!
But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money!
”
”
George Carlin
“
You risked your life, but what else have you ever risked? Have you risked disapproval? Have you ever risked economic security? Have you ever risked a belief? I see nothing particularly courageous about risking one's life. So you lose it, you go to your hero's heaven and everything is milk and honey 'til the end of time. Right? You get your reward and suffer no earthly consequences. That's not courage. Real courage is risking something that might force you to rethink your thoughts and suffer change and stretch consciousness. Real courage is risking one's clichés.
”
”
Tom Robbins (Another Roadside Attraction)
“
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
”
”
Leonard Cohen
“
I've learned one thing, and that's to quit worrying about stupid things. You have four years to be irresponsible here, relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember the time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So stay out late. Go out with your friends on a Tuesday when you have a paper due on Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does...
”
”
Tom Petty
“
When you find your path, you must ignore fear. You need to have the courage to risk mistakes. But once you are on that road... run, run, run, and don't stop til you've reached its end.
”
”
José N. Harris (MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love)
“
I will serve you ’til the end of days.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2))
“
I’m bound to you, Stern. To the woman who brought me out of hell. I will serve you ’til the end of days.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2))
“
No one owes you a happy life. But you owe yourself one, love
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
I'm gonna love you with all these scars, with this sexy-as-fuck- short hair. However the fuck you look, wearing a damn Glad bag if you want. I'm in this with you 'til the very end.
”
”
Tillie Cole (Heart Recaptured (Hades Hangmen, #2))
“
Alex slept in Darlington's bed and dreamed that he was curled behind her on the narrow mattress.
He pulled her close, his fingers digging into her abdomen, and she could feel claws at their tips. He whispered in her ear, "I will serve you 'til the end of days."
"And love me," she said with a laugh, bold in the dream, unafraid.
But all he said was, "It is not the same.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1))
“
Prescription: 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes. Take ten pages, twice a day, til end of course.
”
”
Diane Setterfield (The Thirteenth Tale)
“
I love who you are and what you make me. I love that your spark has stopped the blur. That you wanted to race with me. That I don't need the superheroes anymore because I need you instead. Shit, we've already done the for better or worse part and the in sickness and in health, so let's do the Til death do us part too. Make a life with me, Ryles. Start with me. End With Me. Complete Me. Be my one and only first. Be my goddamn victory lane and my fucking checkered flag because god knows I'll be yours if you'll let me. Marry Me, Ry?
”
”
K. Bromberg (Crashed (Driven, #3))
“
You can't save everyone."
Xie Lian slowly straightened up. “Whether I can, I won’t know until I’ve tried. Even if the heavens say I must die, if that sword doesn’t pierce my heart and nail me dead on the ground, then I am still alive, and ‘til my last breath I will struggle to the end!
”
”
Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù (天官赐福 [Tiān Guān Cì Fú])
“
I am who I am, I don't follow my friends. I am who I am, I don't follow the trends.
I am who I am, I don't try to pretend.
I am who I am, til the very end.
”
”
David A. Santos
“
it’s you and me, ‘til the end. In the darkness and in the light.
”
”
Laura Kaye (Love in the Light (Hearts in Darkness, #2))
“
Blue jeans, white shirt
Walked into the room you know you made my eyes burn
It was like, James Dean, for sure
You're so fresh to death and sick as ca-cancer
You were sorta punk rock, I grew up on hip hop
But you fit me better than my favourite sweater, and I know
That love is mean, and love hurts
But I still remember that day we met in december, oh baby!
I will love you 'til the end of time
I would wait a million years
Promise you'll remember that you're mine
Baby can you see through the tears
Love you more
Than those bitches before
Say you'll remember, oh baby, say you'll remember
I will love you 'til the end of time
Big dreams, gangster
Said you had to leave to start your life over
I was like, “No please, stay here,
We don't need no money we can make it all work,”
But he headed out on sunday, said he'd come home monday
I stayed up waitin', anticipatin', and pacin'
But he was chasing paper
"Caught up in the game" ‒ that was the last I heard
I will love you 'til the end of time
I would wait a million years
Promise you'll remember that you're mine
Baby can you see through the tears
Love you more
Than those bitches before
Say you'll remember, oh baby, say you'll remember
I will love you 'til the end of time
You went out every night
And baby that's alright
I told you that no matter what you did I'd be by your side
Cause Imma ride or die
Whether you fail or fly
Well shit at least you tried.
But when you walked out that door, a piece of me died
I told you I wanted more-but that's not what I had in mind
I just want it like before
We were dancing all night
Then they took you away-stole you out of my life
You just need to remember....
I will love you 'til the end of time
I would wait a million years
Promise you'll remember that you're mine
Baby can you see through the tears
Love you more
Than those bitches before
Say you'll remember, oh baby, say you'll remember
I will love you 'til the end of time
”
”
Lana Del Rey
“
Not James! He was the very best of them. He was the one who had to make it, no matter what. How could there be a world without James Potter? You might as well picture a world without kindness, or laughter, or mischief.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
I love you,” Sirius whispered, “I love you so much.” He squeezed his eyes shut, “Don’t worry, you don’t have to say it back.”
“Of course I love you, you idiot,” Remus gasped, not sure if he was laughing or crying, “I never stopped.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
You’ve been fine,” Grant smiled, without a trace of blame. “You’ve been my little bit of magic.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
I’ve done some soul searching… Looked deep within myself, ya know? I've reached the conclusion that 'Fuck You!' is my spirit animal, and some mother fuckers are going to pay. You can help me or you can walk… but I’m in this. I’m in ‘til the end,” Wednesday said.
”
”
Dennis Sharpe (Wednesday)
“
My place beside you
my blood for yours
til the green ember rises
or the end of the world.
”
”
S.D. Smith
“
I loved him.” Remus said. “But he wasn’t you.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
Remus tipped his head back and took a deep breath,
“CH CH CHANGES! TURN AND FACE THE STRANGE CH CH CHA-ANGES!
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
Does Britannia, when she sleeps, dream? Is America her dream?-- in which all that cannot pass in the metropolitan Wakefulness is allow'd Expression away in the restless Slumber of these Provinces, and on West-ward, wherever 'tis not yet mapp'd, nor written down, nor ever, by the majority of Mankind, seen,-- serving as a very Rubbish-Tip for subjunctive Hopes, for all that may yet be true,-- Earthly Paradise, Fountain of Youth, Realms of Prester John, Christ's Kingdom, ever behind the sunset, safe til the next Territory to the West be seen and recorded, measur'd and tied in, back into the Net-Work of Points already known, that slowly triangulates its Way into the Continent, changing all from subjunctive to declarative, reducing Possibilities to Simplicities that serve the ends of Governments,-- winning away from the realm of the Sacred, its Borderlands one by one, and assuming them unto the bare mortal World that is our home, and our Despair.
”
”
Thomas Pynchon (Mason & Dixon)
“
I swore I would love you 'til the end of time, so now I'm praying for the end of time to hurry up and arrive.
”
”
Meat Loaf (Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (Piano-Vocal-Guitar))
“
When something catches your attention just keep your attention on it, stick with it ’til the end, and somewhere along the line there’ll be weirdness.
”
”
Helen Oyeyemi (Boy, Snow, Bird)
“
Shit, we’ve already done the for better or worse part and the in sickness and health, so let’s do the ’til death do us part too. Make a life with me, Ryles. Start with me. End with me. Complete me. Be my one and only first. Be my goddamn victory lane and my fucking checkered flag because God knows I’ll be yours if you’ll let me. Marry me, Ry?
”
”
K. Bromberg (Crashed (Driven, #3))
“
Dear Bryony,
There are many things I wish I had time to tell you, so I will say just this: These past few days have been some of the best days of my life. Because of you.
My fervent hope is that you are safe and well as you read this letter. That you will have all the happiness I wish I could have shared with you. And that you will remember me not as a failed husband, but one who was still trying, til the very end.
Yours always,
Leo
”
”
Sherry Thomas (Not Quite a Husband (The Marsdens, #2))
“
I'll hold you 'til the end of time, if that's all you want from me. But there's so much more I could do for you. I would treasure you. I would-" He broke off, leaning so close she felt as if she were drowning in the tropical azure and ocean green of his eyes. "Marry me, Cassandra- and we'll tell them all to go to hell.
”
”
Lisa Kleypas (Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6))
“
How I miss wandering around with old souls,
Aimlessly moving from one place to another
How I miss all our dreams and our goals
And how we've lost ourselves to find each other
Seems like a playful game of hide-n-seek
But that's how we'll forever play this life
Loving and living the truth that we seek
Until embraced we find our way to strive
Gazing into strangers' eyes to find our soul mates,
Knowing we're so much closer than we thought.
Our heart keeps the light that forever radiates
Through all the darkness, 'til love is taught
And yet again we look into the skies,
We see the stars, the moon, that light
Missing our home beyond the nights
Living in love until the end of the fight.
”
”
Virgil Kalyana Mittata Iordache
“
These marks mean I am bound in service. Forever.” “To hell? To Golgarot?” He laughed then, the sound deep and cold, the thing at the bottom of the lake. “I’m bound to you, Stern. To the woman who brought me out of hell. I will serve you ’til the end of days.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2))
“
I won't give up, I will fight til the bitter end, cause there's no way I will back down after what you did to my friends. They are what made me the person I am today, that's why I'll keep fighting... For my friends!
”
”
Hiro Mashima
“
He climbed into bed and rolled onto his side, facing the wall, to prove that he couldn’t care less which way Danny ‘swung’. Have you seen my boyfriend?! He wanted to say. As if I’d be interested in you, you big lump.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
Love is a battle" she said smiling, "And I plan on going fighting 'til the end." "Love is a battle? well, I don’t feel at all like fighting," and he left.
”
”
Milan Kundera (The Unbearable Lightness of Being)
“
Is that what those things are?” she asked. “Around your wrists and neck? Marks?” “These?” He leaned forward, and the change in him was instant, the glowing eyes, the curling horns, the broadening of the shoulders. Without meaning to, Alex found herself scooting back in her chair. He was man and then monster in the space of a breath. The golden bands glowed at his wrists and throat. “Yeah,” she said, trying not to show her fear. “Those.” “These marks mean I am bound in service. Forever.” “To hell? To Golgarot?” He laughed then, the sound deep and cold, the thing at the bottom of the lake. “I’m bound to you, Stern. To the woman who brought me out of hell. I will serve you ’til the end of days.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2))
“
But why does it have to be you? Any of you?! Let Dumbledore fight, if he’s so powerful as everyone says. Why does he need kids to help him?
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
I’ll keep coming, long as you need me.” He’d say, cheerfully as he flitted about. “Us care home yobs gotta stick together, innit.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
You love him, don’t you?”
“I…” Remus felt the familiar panic rising at the sound of that word, but as it was just the two of them, and he felt he owed it to her to be honest, he nodded. “Yes.”
“And he loves you.”
“I think so. Yes, he does.”
“That’s all I need to know, then.” She smiled again. She let out a great sigh, “Love. It’s the only thing you get to take with you, you know.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
Off To The Races"
My old man is a bad man but
I can't deny the way he holds my hand
And he grabs me, he has me by my heart
He doesn't mind I have a Las Vegas past
He doesn't mind I have an LA crass way about me
He loves me with every beat of his cocaine heart
Swimming pool glimmering darling
White bikini off with my red nail polish
Watch me in the swimming pool bright blue ripples you
Sitting sipping on your black Cristal
Oh yeah
Light of my life, fire of my loins
Be a good baby, do what I want
Light of my life, fire of my loins
Give me them gold coins, gimme them coins
And I'm off to the races, cases of Bacardi chasers
Chasing me all over town
Cause he knows I'm wasted, facing
Time again at Riker's Island and I won't get out
Because I'm crazy, baby I need you to come here and save me
I'm your little scarlet, starlet singing in the garden
Kiss me on my open mouth
Ready for you
My old man is a tough man but
He's got a soul as sweet as blood red jam
And he shows me, he knows me
Every inch of my tar black soul
He doesn't mind I have a flat broke down life
In fact he says he thinks it's why he might like about me
Admires me, the way I roll like a Rolling Stone
Likes to watch me in the glass room bathroom, Chateau Marmont
Slippin' on my red dress, puttin' on my makeup
Glass film, perfume, cognac, lilac
Fumes, says it feels like heaven to him
Light of his life, fire of his loins
Keep me forever, tell me you own me
Light of your life, fire of your loins
Tell me you own me, gimme them coins
And I'm off to the races, cases of Bacardi chasers
Chasing me all over town
Cause he knows I'm wasted, facing
Time again at Riker's Island and I won't get out
Because I'm crazy, baby I need you to come here and save me
I'm your little scarlet, starlet singing in the garden
Kiss me on my open mouth
Now I'm off to the races, laces
Leather on my waist is tight and I am fallin' down
I can see your face is shameless, Cipriani's basement
Love you but I'm going down
God I'm so crazy, baby, I'm sorry that I'm misbehaving
I'm your little harlot, starlet, Queen of Coney Island
Raising hell all over town
Sorry 'bout it
My old man is a thief and I'm gonna stay and pray with him 'til the end
But I trust in the decision of the Lord to watch over us
Take him when he may, if he may
I'm not afraid to say that I'd die without him
Who else is gonna put up with me this way?
I need you, I breathe you, I never leave you
They would rue the day I was alone without you
You're lying with your gold chain on, cigar hanging from your lips
I said "Hon' you never looked so beautiful as you do now, my man."
And we're off to the races, places
Ready, set the gate is down and now we're goin' in
To Las Vegas chaos, Casino Oasis, honey it is time to spin
Boy you're so crazy, baby, I love you forever not maybe
You are my one true love, you are my one true love
You are my one true love
”
”
Lana Del Rey
“
Culture derives its meaning from man's faith in God; it is never an end in itself, but always a means of expressing one's religious faith.
”
”
Henry R. Van Til (The Calvinistic Concept of Culture)
“
He whispered in her ear, “I will serve you ’til the end of days.” “And love me,” she said with a laugh, bold in the dream, unafraid. But all he said was, “It is not the same.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1))
“
To the woman who brought me out of hell. I will serve you ’til the end of days.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2))
“
You’ve been fine,” Grant smiled, without a trace of blame. “You’ve been my little bit of magic.”
Remus made a strangled noise, and tried not to cry. Grant hugged him, and they held each other for the last time.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
The gotta, as in: “I think I’ll stay up another fifteen-twenty minutes, honey, I gotta see how this chapter comes out.” Even though the guy who says it spent the day at work thinking about getting laid and knows the odds are good his wife is going to be asleep when he finally gets up to the bedroom. The gotta, as in: “I know I should be starting supper now — he’ll be mad if it’s TV dinners again — but I gotta see how this ends.” I gotta know will she live. I gotta know will he catch the shitheel who killed his father. I gotta know if she finds out her best friend’s screwing her husband. The gotta. Nasty as a hand-job in a sleazy bar, fine as a fuck from the world’s most talented call-girl. Oh boy it was bad and oh boy it was good and oh boy in the end it didn’t matter how rude it was or how crude it was because in the end it was just like the Jacksons said on that record — don’t stop til you get enough.
”
”
Stephen King (Misery)
“
She said to me, over the phone
She wanted to see other people
I thought, Well then, look around. They're everywhere
Said that she was confused...
I thought, Darling, join the club
24 years old, Mid-life crisis
Nowadays hits you when you're young
I hung up, She called back, I hung up again
The process had already started
At least it happened quick
I swear, I died inside that night
My friend, he called
I didn't mention a thing
The last thing he said was, Be sound
Sound...
I contemplated an awful thing, I hate to admit
I just thought those would be such appropriate last words
But I'm still here
And small
So small.. How could this struggle seem so big?
So big...
While the palms in the breeze still blow green
And the waves in the sea still absolute blue
But the horror
Every single thing I see is a reminder of her
Never thought I'd curse the day I met her
And since she's gone and wouldn't hear
Who would care? What good would that do?
But I'm still here
So I imagine in a month...or 12
I'll be somewhere having a drink
Laughing at a stupid joke
Or just another stupid thing
And I can see myself stopping short
Drifting out of the present
Sucked by the undertow and pulled out deep
And there I am, standing
Wet grass and white headstones all in rows
And in the distance there's one, off on its own
So I stop, kneel
My new home...
And I picture a sober awakening, a re-entry into this little bar scene
Sip my drink til the ice hits my lip
Order another round
And that's it for now
Sorry
Never been too good at happy endings...
”
”
Eddie Vedder
“
Whether I can, I won't know until I've tried. Even if the heavens say I must die, if that sword doesn't pierce my heart and nail me dead on the ground, then I am still alive, and 'til my last breath I will struggle to the end!
”
”
Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
“
Hi— I’m Ted Mosby. And exactly 45 days from now you and I are going to meet and we’re going to fall in love and we’re going to get married and we’re going to have 2 kids and we’re going to love them and each other so much. All that is 45 days away, but I’m here now I guess because… I want those extra 45 days with you. I want each one of them. Look and if I can’t have them I’ll take the 45 seconds before your boyfriend shows up and punches me in the face, because… I love you. I’m always gonna love you, til the end of my days and beyond. You’ll see.
”
”
–Ted Mosby
“
She could have ripped each of their throats out the night before without stopping for breath. She was a force of nature; queen of the night; she was one of the strongest people he had ever met. She was one of the only people in the world who truly understood what it meant to be a wolf.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
Mary came to Remus’s rescue, in the end, as always
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
He was right - Grant was generally right about humanity.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
Ye can at least promise me the victory,” he said, but his voice held the whisper of a question.
“Yes,” I said, and touched his face. I sounded choked, and my vision blurred. “Yes, I can promise that. This time.” No mention made of what that promise spared, of the things I could not guarantee. Not life, not safety. Not home, nor family; not law nor legacy. Just the one thing—or maybe two.
“The victory,” I said. “And that I will be with you ’til the end.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. Snowflakes pelted down, melting as they struck his face, sticking for an instant, white on his lashes.
Then he opened his eyes and looked at me.
“That is enough,” he said softly. “I ask no more.”
He reached forward then and took me in his arms, held me close for a moment, the breath of snow and ashes cold around us. Then he kissed me, released me, and I took a deep breath of cold air, harsh with the scent of burning.
”
”
Diana Gabaldon (A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6))
“
My place beside you. My blood for yours. Til the Green Ember rises, or the end of the world!
”
”
S.D. Smith
“
I can't pick up a cat on a whim or out of sympathy. What if I can't take care of him 'til the end? What if I'm not confident enough to stay with him forever? I can't hold a lonely cat.
”
”
Saki Aida (Tired of Waiting For Love)
“
Promising young Healer, Mylene McKinnon according to the misspelt caption. Yasmin was not mentioned at all, though Sirius told Remus they were found lying beside each other, and their fingers were still touching.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
She put him out like the burning end of a midnight cigarett.
She broke his heart.
He spent his whole life trying to forget.
We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time.
But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind until the night.
He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger.
And finally drank away her memory.
Life is short but this time it was bigger,
Than the strength he had to get up off his knees.
We found him with his face down in the pillow.
With a note that said: I love her til' I die.
And when we buried him beneath the willow,
The angels sang a whiskey lullaby.
La la la la la la la. La la la la la la la.
La la la la la la la. La la la la la la la.
The rumors flew,
But nobody knew how much she blamed herself for years and years.
She tried to hide the whiskey on her breath.
She finally drank her pain away a little at a time,
But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind until the night.
She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger.
And finally drank away his memory.
Life is short but this time it was bigger,
Than the strength she had to get up off her knees.
We found her with her face down in the pillow.
Clinging to his picture for dear life.
We laid her next to him beneath the willow,
While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby.
La la la la la la la. La la la la la la la.
La la la la la la la. La la la la la la la.
”
”
Brad Paisley (Hits Alive)
“
And so, as per usual, it was James and Lily who managed to bring everyone out of that gloomy winter slog, just in time for spring. The marauders and their friends faced the rest of their year with fresh eyes and renewed purpose. Because fighting a war was one thing - but fighting for the Potters’ future child made every challenge seem more worthwhile.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
Is Lily ok?” Mary asked.
Marlene nodded, “Of course she is. Nothing stops Evans.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
I live with Sirius,” Remus said, raising his eyebrows a little bit to see if his old teacher took the hint. But apparently not. Why were grownups always so dense?
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
I’m not going to have what I want from you until you’ve reached the end of the road with him. I’ve got all the time in the world. I can wait ‘til you get there.
”
”
Sylvia Day (Eve of Warfare (Marked, #3.25))
“
10)Thinking through the end of the police and imagining alternatives.
”
”
Mariame Kaba (We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice (Abolitionist Papers Book 1))
“
Powerless is losing everything you love and blaming it on others. In the end, being powerless over addiction leads to being alone with the one person you hate most of all –yourself.
”
”
April P (High til I Die: The Dirty Mind of a Drug Addict)
“
Another day down the mines of our lives. We drink 'til we stink and smoke 'til we choke because that's how we get things done, you and me. Spending our lives making things and making things out of our lives, because anything else would be dull as hell and we're damned if we're going to sit at the other end of whatever years we get saying, well, what the fuck was that for?
Years of scars, lipstick and tears, and every day the dawn comes on we turn our eyes up in surprise, saying, "There's that goddamn sun again.
”
”
Warren Ellis (Do Anything Volume 1)
“
Honey ahhhm home !” Grant clattered through the door in fluorescent yellow football shorts with a terrible American accent and a cheesy grin, which froze when he saw Dumbledore, “Oh, sorry... tea party, is it?
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
For en tragisk historie! Jeg fatter ikke hvorfor slike eventyr for barn alltid må ende med forferdelse. Jeg tror at hvis jeg noen gang skal fortelle barnebarna mine det eventyret, skal jeg forandre slutten og la dem leve lykkelig alle sine dager. Vi har lov til det, vel, Mabel? Å dikte vår egen slutt og snu sorg til glede?
”
”
Eowyn Ivey (The Snow Child)
“
Grant... look..." Remus made sparks with his wand. He levitated the coffee table, and then - showing off, because it had been so long - transformed his mug into a frog.
"All right!" Grant recoiled, as the frog hopped onto the carpet, "Ok, I believe you! Jesus Christ!"
"Oh, just "Remus Lupin" will do." Remus stuck his tongue out.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
You have to live 'til the end of your time. That's the forever that humans have.
”
”
Felipe Nas (The 100th Guy Who Passed By Her)
“
My place beside you, my blood for yours
'Til the Green Ember rises or the end of the world.
”
”
S.D. Smith
“
They had all received instructions to start using fake names when out on Order business, in case anyone listened in. Remus wasn’t overly fond of ‘Kevin’, but he had to admit it was probably better than his own ridiculous name. When the marauders first heard about the codenames they’d wanted to use Paul, John, George and Ringo, but Moody told them it was too obvious.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
Like a cord between us, it binds me to you, where you go I must then follow. If you go too far, I am compelled to search for you until I find you. If I try to run, I would freeze in my own steps and be made to turn back. I am anything but free. I’m your slave. I intend to see this to its finality and end it.” He snickered then and let her go. “Til death do us part, Shade.” ~Ever Shade (A Dark Faerie Tale #1)
”
”
Alexia Purdy
“
And no matter what
closet we were thrown in,
up what river we were sold
for an embarrassment,
or worse, traded
for a bottle of gin--
we’d carry on in
playful stitches, friends
‘til the end…which came
sooner than wished.
”
”
Kristen Henderson (Of My Maiden Smoking)
“
Det var gode tider, dagene blev længere og luften mere skjær, jeg rustet mig for to dager og drev tilfjælds, til fjældtinderne, jeg traf renlapper og fik ost av dem, små fete oster med urteagtig smak. Jeg var der mere end en gang.
”
”
Knut Hamsun (Pan)
“
[The intellect of fallen man] may be compared to a buzz-saw that is sharp and shining, ready to cut the boards that come to it. Let us say that a carpenter wishes to cut fifty boards for the purpose of laying the floor of a house. He has marked his boards. He has set his saw. He begins at one end of the mark on the board. But he does not know that his seven-year-old son has tampered with the saw and changed its set. The result is that every board he saws is cut slantwise and thus unusable because too short except at the point where the saw made its first contact with the wood. As long as the set of the saw is not changed, the result will always be the same. So also whenever the teachings of Christianity are presented to the natural man, they will be cut according to the set of sinful human personality.
”
”
Cornelius Van Til (Defense of the Faith)
“
I see nothing particularly courageous in risking one's life. So you lose it, you go to your hero's heaven and everything is milk and honey 'til the end of time. Right? You get your reward and suffer no earthly consequences. That's not courage. Real courage is risking something you have to keep on living with, real courage is risking something that might force you to rethink your thoughts and suffer change and stretch consciousness. Real courage is risking one's clichés.” The
”
”
Tom Robbins (Another Roadside Attraction)
“
Speaking with spiders and other things you call unusual... there's no special trick to it. When something catches your attention just keep your attention on it, stick with it 'til the end, and somewhere along the line there'll be weirdness.
”
”
Helen Oyememi
“
For også hun hadde hat sin historie, sin lille uregelmæssighet i sit liv (...)Siden sit ulykkelige forhold til en ung fremmed, en ren æventyrer ved navn Johan Nagel, en uanselig dværg, som hadde dukket op på hendes vei ifjor og gjort hende ganske forvirret, hadde fru Dagny hat sine dulgte sorger å trækkes med. Forholdet var ikke endt med at en hat sænkedes dypt og en pyntelig farvel hadde lydt, nei den vilde man var gåt på hodet i havet og hadde gjort ende på sig uten å si et ord.
”
”
Knut Hamsun (Redaktør Lynge)
“
Even they would think you a monster were you to
orchestrate a divorce right after my confinement.”
“How long do you recommend I wait, then?”
“A long time. I know what happens when a divorce is granted:
The woman never gets anything. And I will not be parted from my child.”
“So you will contest the divorce?”
“To my last penny. And then I’ll borrow from Fitz and Millie.”
“So we’ll be married ’til the end of time?”
“The sooner you accept it, the sooner we are all better off.”
His ancestors would have appreciated her hauteur: a fit wife for a de Montfort. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must have enough rest.”
He gazed at her retreating back. Foolish woman, did she not realize that he’d already accepted it from the moment he’d said “I do”?
”
”
Sherry Thomas (Beguiling the Beauty (Fitzhugh Trilogy, #1))
“
On the way to abolition, we can take a number of intermediate steps to shrink the police force and to restructure our relationships with each other. These include: 1)Organizing for dramatic decreases of police budgets and redirecting those funds to other social goods (defunding the police). 2)Ending cash bail. 3)Overturning police bills of rights. 4)Abolishing police unions.
”
”
Mariame Kaba (We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice (Abolitionist Papers Book 1))
“
Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man—living in the sky—who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ’til the end of time . . . But He loves you! —GEORGE CARLIN I
”
”
Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion)
“
I haven’t had the smoothest life but somehow I’ve ended up an optimist. I figure if I keep believing Fate is good to me then it will be. Like Heather’s ‘fake it til you make it’ attitude. You have to know what you want before what you want knows how to find you.
”
”
Catou Martine (Heartless)
“
…dumheden hos disse mænd og den endnu større dumhed hos dem, der tror, at de er stærkere end naturen, og med eventyrlige argumenter bilder sig selv ind, at de formår, hvad de ikke formår, og ønsker at få andre til at handle ligesom dem selv, selvom det strider imod deres natur.
”
”
Giovanni Boccaccio (The Decameron)
“
Ho jeg har visst alt faat Vaaren i mig, jeg bruker min Qvind som en gale, Fan steike mig, og æter langt bedre end på længe!(1912, brev til J.M. Køhler Olsen i Bergen)
”
”
Knut Hamsun (Selected Letters: 1898-1952 (Norvik Press Series a))
“
Love had beaten the shit out of him on more than one occasion. But it had also been the only thing worth living for. It had lifted him, protected him, and kept him human.
”
”
MsKingBean89 (All The Young Dudes - Volume Three: ‘Til the End (All The Young Dudes, #3))
“
To divide life into areas of sacred and secular, letting our devotions take care of the former while becoming secular reformers during the week, is to fail to understand the true end of man
”
”
Henry R. Van Til
“
This has got to be the most poorly named town I've ever visited. There is absolutely no sign of anything even remotely enchanting about it. It's one of the worst cases of false advertising I've seen.
I've traveled a lot.Done considerable time in my share of dead-end dumps. Or at least that's what I thought until I came here.
I mean,where do people shop for clothing and food?
Where do the teens all hang out-the ones who haven't already hopped the first bus out of this godforsaken place?
And,more important,where do I catch that very same bus-how soon 'til it leaves?
”
”
Alyson Noel (Fated (Soul Seekers, #1))
“
July"
The figs we ate wrapped in bacon.
The gelato we consumed greedily:
coconut milk, clove, fresh pear.
How we’d dump hot espresso on it
just to watch it melt, licking our spoons
clean. The potatoes fried in duck fat,
the salt we’d suck off our fingers,
the eggs we’d watch get beaten
’til they were a dizzying bright yellow,
how their edges crisped in the pan.
The pink salt blossom of prosciutto
we pulled apart with our hands, melted
on our eager tongues. The green herbs
with goat cheese, the aged brie paired
with a small pot of strawberry jam,
the final sour cherry we kept politely
pushing onto each other’s plate, saying,
No, you. But it’s so good. No, it’s yours.
How I finally put an end to it, plucked it
from the plate, and stuck it in my mouth.
How good it tasted: so sweet and so tart.
How good it felt: to want something and
pretend you don’t, and to get it anyway.
”
”
Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
“
The gotta. Nasty as a hand-job in a sleazy bar, fine as a fuck from the world’s most talented call-girl. Oh boy it was bad and oh boy it was good and oh boy in the end it didn’t matter how rude it was or how crude it was because in the end it was just like the Jacksons said on that record – don’t stop til you get enough.
”
”
Stephen King (Misery)
“
… I've got to believe
My grief will end. I can’t see myself,
I speak in panic outside a Malibu fish
Counter, Pacific slippery as bed silk.
My friend says she sees me anyway,
Feeds me cold tinned juice. You’re right
Here. She's laughing as motorcycles roar
Past as chrome American hog dazzlers.
I’ll sing the worlds ‘til you remember them.
”
”
Emily Vizzo (Giantess)
“
Den, som tror på mig, han skal også gøre de gerninger, jeg gør, ja, han skal gøre endnu større gerninger, thi jeg går til Faderen.' (Joh. 14:12).
I årevis plagede dette mig, ikke fordi jeg ikke troede på det, men fordi jeg ikke så det i praksis. Hvordan kunne jeg gøre 'større gerninger' end Jesus? Men i dag forstår jeg, at Jesus ikke hentydede til gerninger, som var større i art, men i omfang.
”
”
Jamie Buckingham (Where Eagles Soar)
“
Men don't know when to stop, she's told me over and over. You
have to cut them off or they'll eat 'til their bellies ache—just like a
baby or Mr. Davis's dog.
I figure all this sweet, cutesy stuff works about the same as
dessert—except if you don't cut them off from the cutesy stuff
you end up with a whole different kind of tummy ache. At any rate,
I'm pretty sure Logan Kilgore doesn't know when to quit. Case
in point, Barney Fife and the speeding ticket debacle.
”
”
Elizabeth Nicole (September, After Everything)
“
… Men kære, kære Herre, hvem af os Mennesker kan vel egentlig hjælpe sin Næste? Hvem kan hjælpe ham saadan, som han ønsker det i sin Sjæls Inderste? Nej, vi maa nok se af hjælpe os selv! De vil maaske ikke tro det, men undertiden, — naar jeg ligger saadan ganske ene, akkurat, ligesom der ikke var andre Mennesker til i Verden end jeg og som jeg var det eneste Levende, saa er det mig tidt og mange Gange, som om En velsignende lagde sin Haand paa mit Hoved ; og saa faar jeg saadanne besynderlige Tanker, ganske besynderlige Tanker…
”
”
Ivan Turgenjev (Sketches from a Hunter's Album)
“
God is alive; Magic is afoot
God is alive; Magic is afoot
God is afoot; Magic is alive
Alive is afoot.....
Magic never died.
God never sickened;
Many poor men lied
Many sick men lied
Magic never weakened
Magic never hid
Magic always ruled
God is afoot
God never died.
God was ruler
Though his funeral lengthened
Though his mourners thickened
Magic never fled
Though his shrouds were hoisted
The naked God did live
Though his words were twisted
The naked Magic thrived
Though his death was published
Round and round the world
The heart did not believe
Many hurt men wondered
Many struck men bled
Magic never faltered
Magic always led.
Many stones were rolled
But God would not lie down
Many wild men lied
Many fat men listened
Though they offered stones
Magic still was fed
Though they locked their coffers
God was always served.
Magic is afoot. God rules.
Alive is afoot. Alive is in command.
Many weak men hungered
Many strong men thrived
Though they boasted solitude
God was at their side
Nor the dreamer in his cell
Nor the captain on the hill
Magic is alive
Though his death was pardoned
Round and round the world
The heart did not believe.
Though laws were carved in marble
They could not shelter men
Though altars built in parliaments
They could not order men
Police arrested Magic
And Magic went with them,
For Magic loves the hungry.
But Magic would not tarry
It moves from arm to arm
It would not stay with them
Magic is afoot
It cannot come to harm
It rests in an empty palm
It spawns in an empty mind
But Magic is no instrument
Magic is the end.
Many men drove Magic
But Magic stayed behind
Many strong men lied
They only passed through Magic
And out the other side
Many weak men lied
They came to God in secret
And though they left him nourished
They would not say who healed
Though mountains danced before them
They said that God was dead
Though his shrouds were hoisted
The naked God did live
This I mean to whisper to my mind
This I mean to laugh with in my mind
This I mean my mind to serve 'til
Service is but Magic
Moving through the world
And mind itself is Magic
Coursing through the flesh
And flesh itself is Magic
Dancing on a clock
And time itself the magic length of God.
”
”
Leonard Cohen
“
In the deep, wet tangled, wild jungle where even natives won't go is a mystical, dangerous river. The river's got no name because naming it would make it real, and no one wanted to believe that river be real. They say you get there only inside a dream-but don't you think of it at bedtime, now, 'cause not everyone who goes there be able to leave! That jungle canopy, it so leafy true daylight can never break in the riverbank, it be wet muck thick with creatures that eat you alive if you stay still too long. To miss that fate, you gots to go into the black water. But the water be heavy as hot tar; once you in, it bind you and pull you along, bit by bit, 'til you come to the end of the land, and then over the water goes in a dark, slow cascade, the highest falls in the history of the world ever. There be demons in that cascading water, and snakes, and wraiths that whisper in your ears. They love you, they say. You should give yourself to them, stay with them, become one of them, they say. 'Isn't it good here?' they say. 'No pain, no trouble.' But also no light and no love and no joy and no ground. You tumble and tumble as you fall, and you try and choose, but your mind be topsy-turvy and maybe you can't think so well, and maybe you can't choose right, and maybe you never wake up. "It felt like that," I tell Tootsie, "even after you got me out and Scott moved me to Highland. I couldn't choose. I couldn't shut out the wraiths...But you would say, 'Hang on, sweetie,' and Scottie would say, 'I miss you, Mama,' and Scott would hold me, just hold me and say nothing at all." Tootsie snorts. "Scott was useless the whole while." "Scott was in the river, too.
”
”
Therese Anne Fowler (Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald)
“
Hvad ere en Naturbeskrivelse andet end en Oversaettelse? Endogså den meest vellykkede staaer ligesaalangt under Originalen som Himmelbjerget i Jylland under Himmelbjerget i Thibet. Derfor gunstige Læser! hav mig undskyldt, naar jeg ikke fortæller Dig alt hvad jeg her saae. Hvad jeg saae kunde jeg maaskee sige Dig: men hvorledes jeg saae det? Neppe! – Enkelthederne kunde jeg fremstille Dig een efter en anden, men Heelheden – alt paa eengang? – dertil – om “Du endog har Oere, har Tungen ikke Ord.” Min Pen er ingen Pensel. Rejs! Rejs selv til Himmelbjerget, og see!
”
”
Steen Steensen Blicher
“
Becky fell unusually quiet as she smoothed Macy's overalls that had scrunched under her legs. A tender gesture probably nobody else had noticed. "I don't want to say this the wrong way, Shah-loh, but we're all gonna die."
"Of course we are." A drop of water fell from the end of the snapdragon stem. "But I prefer not to kill my flowers before their time."
"Well, cut er not cut, we're all goin'." Becky spoke so soberly that I turned my eyes to her. "Ain't no stoppin' it. You know that."
"Sure I do, but isn't it a waste? All that beautiful bloom for what-an hour?"
"Mebbe in some ways, but..." She gathered a handful of roses and freesia, delicately perfumed, and pressed them in my hands. "Ya gotta remember though-this was their purpose all along. And they did it to their fullest. It's their gift."
I felt strangely moved, standing there with shoppers laughing in the background. And me looking down at those beautiful doomed flowers in my hands, their glowing colors trembling with drops.
"But it's such a waste, Becky!"
"Or a sacrifice. Depends on how ya look at it. They lived and bloomed, jest like they were made to do. And when it was time to go, they gracefully said yes."
She ran her hands over the petals, which gleamed like bits of satin. "We're seein' their last magnificent moments and enjoyin' 'em. If you was a flower, wouldn't that make ya happy to know you'd done what you was born ta do? Even if ya didn't get to do it very long?
”
”
Jennifer Rogers Spinola ('Til Grits Do Us Part (Southern Fried Sushi #3))
“
Have you ever been too old, too young, too big, too small, too smart, too dumb?
Have you ever been too fat, too thin, too shy, too loud, too slow to win?
Have you ever been too scared to try, too small to play, too young to die?
Have you ever been too weak to fight, too little yet, or not quite right?
Have you ever been too dark, too light, too black, too brown, too red, too white?
Have you ever been put off ’til last, the odd man out, the jerk they sassed?
Have you ever been the one black sheep, the naughty child, the nerdy geek?
Have you ever been the butt of jokes, the timid soul, the oddest folk?
Have you ever been left out of fun, forgotten when the day is done?
Have you ever been afraid to lose? Afraid to try? Afraid to choose?
Have you ever been too rich, too poor, too venturesome, or just a bore?
Have you ever had no clue at all? Nowhere to go? No one to call?
Have you ever been without a friend? Have you ever wished the day would end?
Have you ever had the biggest nose, the longest arms, the funny toes?
Have you ever had the flattest chest? Have you ever had the biggest breasts?
Have you ever prayed your luck would change? Have you ever felt your life was strange?
Have you ever wished for something more, or something less than what you were?
If you have ever felt this way, you're one of us I’m here to say.
We've all been there a time or two because we're human, me and you.
We've all felt different in some way because we are, and that’s okay.
We've all been hurt; we've all been scarred. That's life. And frankly, life is hard.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year)
“
Black as an 8 year old kid all the way til we were 18 was beaten in the place that was supposed to be "home". He never complained or fought to stop it because it somehow... made things better for the rest of his family. I can never understand his tolerance to all that he's been through. He keeps trying and fighting without realising it himself when he opened up to me when I put myself in his shoes... and actually felt what he was feeling, I almost became scarred forever because of it. And even then he was the one who pulled me back from that dark place. I can say the best thing there is to say I am able to make him see things from a different point of voice but he's always been the one... that makes us smile in the end. He's been this strong at heart for both of us for so long.
”
”
dee Juusan (Grey is... (Grey is, #2))
“
I didn’t answer, occupied in dissolving the penicillin tablets in the vial of sterile water. I selected a glass barrel, fitted a needle, and pressed the tip through the rubber covering the mouth of the bottle. Holding it up to the light, I pulled back slowly on the plunger, watching the thick white liquid fill the barrel, checking for bubbles. Then pulling the needle free, I depressed the plunger slightly until a drop of liquid pearled from the point and rolled slowly down the length of the spike. “Roll onto your good side,” I said, turning to Jamie, “and pull up your shirt.” He eyed the needle in my hand with keen suspicion, but reluctantly obeyed. I surveyed the terrain with approval. “Your bottom hasn’t changed a bit in twenty years,” I remarked, admiring the muscular curves. “Neither has yours,” he replied courteously, “but I’m no insisting you expose it. Are ye suffering a sudden attack of lustfulness?” “Not just at present,” I said evenly, swabbing a patch of skin with a cloth soaked in brandy. “That’s a verra nice make of brandy,” he said, peering back over his shoulder, “but I’m more accustomed to apply it at the other end.” “It’s also the best source of alcohol available. Hold still now, and relax.” I jabbed deftly and pressed the plunger slowly in. “Ouch!” Jamie rubbed his posterior resentfully. “It’ll stop stinging in a minute.” I poured an inch of brandy into the cup. “Now you can have a bit to drink—a very little bit.” He drained the cup without comment, watching me roll up the collection of syringes. Finally he said, “I thought ye stuck pins in ill-wish dolls when ye meant to witch someone; not in the people themselves.” “It’s not a pin, it’s a hypodermic syringe.” “I dinna care what ye call it; it felt like a bloody horseshoe nail. Would ye care to tell me why jabbing pins in my arse is going to help my arm?” I took a deep breath. “Well, do you remember my once telling you about germs?” He looked quite blank. “Little beasts too small to see,” I elaborated. “They can get into your body through bad food or water, or through open wounds, and if they do, they can make you ill.” He stared at his arm with interest. “I’ve germs in my arm, have I?” “You very definitely have.” I tapped a finger on the small flat box. “The medicine I just shot into your backside kills germs, though. You get another shot every four hours ’til this time tomorrow, and then we’ll see how you’re doing.” I paused. Jamie was staring at me, shaking his head. “Do you understand?” I asked. He nodded slowly. “Aye, I do. I should ha’ let them burn ye, twenty years ago.
”
”
Diana Gabaldon (Voyager (Outlander, #3))
“
The Unknown Soldier
A tale to tell in bloody rhyme,
A story to last ’til the dawn of end’s time.
Of a loving boy who left dear home,
To bear his countries burdens; her honor to sow.
–A common boy, I say, who left kith and kin,
To battle der Kaiser and all that was therein.
The Arsenal of Democracy was his kind,
–To make the world safe–was their call and chime.
Trained he thus in the far army camps,
Drilled he often in the march and stamp.
Laughed he did with new found friends,
Lived they together for the noble end.
Greyish mottled images clipp’ed and hack´ed–
Black and white broke drum Ʀ…ɧ..λ..t…ʮ..m..ȿ
—marching armies off to ’ttack.
Images scratched, chopped, theatrical exaggerate,
Confetti parades, shouts of high praise
To where hell would sup and partake
with all bon hope as the transport do them take
Faded icons board the ship–
To steel them away collaged together
–joined in spirit and hip.
Timeworn humanity of once what was
To broker peace in eagles and doves.
Mortal clay in the earth but to grapple and smite
As warbirds ironed soar in heaven’s light.
All called all forward to divinities’ kept date,
Heroes all–all aces and fates.
Paris–Used to sing and play at some cards,
A common Joe everybody knew from own heart.
He could have been called ‘the kid’ by the ‘old man,’
But a common private now taking orders to stand.
Receiving letters from his shy sweet one,
Read them over and over until they faded to none.
Trained like hell with his Commander-in-Arms,
–To avoid the dangers of a most bloody harm.
Aye, this boy was mortal, true enough said,
He could be one of thousands alive but now surely dead.
How he sang and cried and ate the gruel of rations,
And grumbled as soldiers do at war’s great contagions.
Out–out to the battle this young did go,
To become a man; the world to show.
(An ocean away his mother cried so–
To return her boy safe as far as the heavens go).
Lay he down in trenched hole,
With balls bursting overhead upon the knoll.
Listened hardnfast to the “Sarge” bearing the news,
—“We’re going over soon—” was all he knew.
The whistle blew; up and over they went,
Charging the Hun, his life to be spent
(“Avoid the gas boys that’ll blister yer arse!!”).
Running through wires razored and deadened trees,
Fell he into a gouge to find in shelter of need
(They say he bayoneted one just as he–,
face to face in War’s Dance of trialed humanity).
A nameless sonnuvabitch shell then did untimely RiiiiiiiP
the field asunder in burrrstzʑ–and he tripped.
And on the field of battle’s blood did he die,
Faceless in a puddle as blurrs of ghosting men
shrieked as they were fleeing by–.
Perished he alone in the no man’s land,
Surrounded by an army of his brother’s teeming bands . . .
And a world away a mother sighed,
Listened to the rain and lay down and cried.
. . . Today lays the grave somber and white,
Guarded decades long in both the dark and the light.
Silent sentinels watch o’er and with him do walk,
Speak they neither; their duty talks.
Lone, stark sentries perform the unsmiling task,
–Guarding this one dead–at the nation’s bequest.
Cared over day and night in both rain or sun,
Present changing of the guard and their duty is done
(The changing of the guard ’tis poetry motioned
A Nation defining itself–telling of
rifles twirl-clicking under the intensest of devotions).
This poem–of The Unknown, taken thus,
Is rend eternal by Divinity’s Iron Trust.
How he, a common soldier, gained the estate
Of bearing his countries glory unto his unknown fate.
Here rests in honored glory a warrior known but to God,
Now rests he in peace from the conflict path he trod.
He is our friend, our family, brother, our mother’s son
–belongs he to us all,
For he has stood in our place–heeding God’s final call.
”
”
Douglas M. Laurent
“
Blues
Elizabeth Alexander, 1962
I am lazy, the laziest
girl in the world. I sleep during
the day when I want to, ‘til
my face is creased and swollen,
‘til my lips are dry and hot. I
eat as I please: cookies and milk
after lunch, butter and sour cream
on my baked potato, foods that
slothful people eat, that turn
yellow and opaque beneath the skin.
Sometimes come dinnertime Sunday
I am still in my nightgown, the one
with the lace trim listing because
I have not mended it. Many days
I do not exercise, only
consider it, then rub my curdy
belly and lie down. Even
my poems are lazy. I use
syllabics instead of iambs,
prefer slant to the gong of full rhyme,
write briefly while others go
for pages. And yesterday,
for example, I did not work at all!
I got in my car and I drove
to factory outlet stores, purchased
stockings and panties and socks
with my father’s money.
To think, in childhood I missed only
one day of school per year. I went
to ballet class four days a week
at four-forty-five and on
Saturdays, beginning always
with plie, ending with curtsy.
To think, I knew only industry,
the industry of my race
and of immigrants, the radio
tuned always to the station
that said, Line up your summer
job months in advance. Work hard
and do not shame your family,
who worked hard to give you what you have.
There is no sin but sloth. Burn
to a wick and keep moving.
I avoided sleep for years,
up at night replaying
evening news stories about
nearby jailbreaks, fat people
who ate fried chicken and woke up
dead. In sleep I am looking
for poems in the shape of open
V’s of birds flying in formation,
or open arms saying, I forgive you, all.
”
”
Elizabeth Alexander
“
Frankie was making me work for my forgiveness. It had taken several days, a thousand phone messages, and a seriously overpriced Vogue Hommes International shoved through his mail slot to get him even to speak to me. He was sitting across the table from me now, arms crossed over his chest (to be fair, he did that a lot when wearing that particular cashmere sweater; it covered the repaired moth hole at the point of the V-neck), glowering a little. I nudged the cannoli another millimeter toward him. It was chocolate chip,his fave.
"So I screwed up twice." I was wrapping up my tale of guilt and woe. "Edward I don't mind so much now. We just were too different for it to work out in the end..." I chanced a glance at Frankie's sulky face to see if he found that at all humorous. Apparently not.,. I sighed and went for honesty. "Alex...That one has walloped me."
Frankie darted out a finger and scooped a little of the filling from the cannoly. I resisted the urge to fling myself across the table and hug him until he squeaked. "The sharks were good," he acknowledged, and not even too reluctantly. "Insane but good."
"Yeah.And Ferdinand. I'll introduce you sometime."
Frankie wrinkled his perfect nose. "I'll take my stingray as a shagreen wallet, thank you."
I laughed.Not that I appreciated the thought of Ferdinand as an accessory,but I was just so happy to have my Frankie back.
He read my mind and waved a cannoli-tipped finger at me. "Ah.You are not forgiven yet, madam."
I subsided in my chair. "I'm sorry," I told him quietly. "I'm really really sorry. If I could go back and do any of it differently, the very first thing would be to tell you everything as it was happening."
"Hmph." Frankie took a bite of cannoli, delicately wiped his mouth, had a sip of espresso,wiped his mouth. And examined the painted til ceiling.
”
”
Melissa Jensen (The Fine Art of Truth or Dare)