I have written letters that are failures, but I have written few, I think, that are lies. Trying to reach a person means asking the same question over and over again: Is this the truth, or not? I begin this letter to you, then, in the western tradition. If I understand it, the western tradition is: Put your cards on the table.

I leave a lot out when I tell the truth

The year I began to say vahz instead of vase, a man I barely knew nearly accidentally killed me.

I meet a person, and in my mind I'm saying three minutes; I give you three minutes to show me the spark.

I often feel the effects of people only after they leave me.

Just once in my life--oh, when have I ever wanted anything just once in my life?

I had a mother I could only seem to please with verbal accomplishments of some sort or another. She read constantly, so I read constantly. If I used words that might have seemed surprising at a young age, she would recognize that and it would please her.