Crimson the hearth where one last ember glows!
My heart’s new winter hath no such relief,
Nor thought of Spring whose blossom he hath known
Hath turned him back where Spring is banished.
Barren the heart and dead the fires there,
Blow! O ye ashes, where the winds shall please,
But cry, ’Love also is the Yearly Slain.’
“
There was a game they liked to play when they were midway in life’s journey, but still healthy, still lustful and keen.
It was: Who could get you to cry in the fewest words?
Of course, some of the best effects were made when everyone was drunk.
He remembered this girl had a good one once.
The last whale swam deeper…
But one of the best was a line from Chekhov’s Three Sisters.
You mean, I’m being left behind?
He couldn’t remember many others. They hadn’t played the game in years.
“
Joy Williams | “Whale”