In a field, I am the absence of field. In a crowd, I am the absence of crowd. In a dream, I am the absence of dream. But I don't want to live as an absence. I move to keep things whole. Because sometimes I feel drunk on positivity. Sometimes I feel amazement at the tangle of words and lives, and I want to be a part of that tangle.
Rachel CohnShe told me if I clean all the ashes out of the grate, then Iโll be able to help my sisters get ready for the bal.โ โItโs Christmas, Dashiel. Canโt you give that atitude a rest?โ โMerry Christmas, Dad. And thanks for the presents.โ โWhat presents?โ โIโm sorryโthose were all from Mom, werenโt they?
Rachel CohnPerhaps it's not that I'm frigid-- it's that once I decide I like a guy, I turn into a raging idiot, unfit for public appearances.
Rachel CohnI particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler.
Rachel Cohn