No Sleep for the Weary

I came across this line while reading Ann Beattie's short, Mr. Nobody at All, which seems to be a collection of memorial speeches for a departed painter (I haven't finished the story)

When his high expectations of people weren't in sync with how things turned out, it really hurt him.

and was immediately struck. Needless to say, that's me.

Oh yeah, I'm in Georgia right now. How strange.

Field Work

I learned how to dig holes; how to sleep through snores. I learned how to use an industrial sanitizer and mop a floor. I learned how to wake up early; how to sleep in a van. I learned to wear long sleeves in the hottest weather, as well as long pants and a hat. I learned to record what I saw, and keep walking. Move on. I learned scale: slow processes are often quick, and quick processes can seem very slow, depending on where you're looking from. I learned how to pretend to sleep in a van; I learned to pretend. And I've always known how to internalize things, but I learned that it could reduce you to nothing more than breath and a heartbeat. How awful that feels. I learned how to leave the 17 people I lived in constant contact with, without going anywhere. I learned to watch fires burn, ten miles away and zero percent contained, before going to bed at night; to dream of cinders.

I Won't

Ne soyez pas
DIABOLIQUES!
Ne détruisez pas d’intéret que pourraient
prendre vos amis a ce film.
Ne leur racontez pas
ce que vous avez vu.
Merci pour eux.