How the thinking woman survives...

[She] devotes [her] life to what [she] thinks [she] can live with:
letters, anyone [she] thinks [she] could love, water,
nights that howl, music, plants, a poem.
(jack ridl)

so... i changed all the 'he' to 'she'. i think this excerpt from jack's poem is my new motto. and as i've been reciting it over and over in my head i've been making a mental list of the things i think i can live with. so here it is, more or less. my very own version (it's a little longer than jack's poem...)

she devotes her life to what she thinks she can live with:
letters, anyone she thinks she could love, lemonade
and iced tea in glass pitchers, the city at night,
a coffee colored kitchen, coffee, the smell of autumn
and smoke filled chimneys, warm rain, sunshine,
beaches at sunset, mountains at sunrise, pine trees,
poetry, good pens, candles, change from foreign currencies,
vintage luggage, jazz music, acoustic music, music with
poetic lyrics, thunderstorms and heat lightning, pitchers
of beer with friends, cocktails, fresh baked cookies,
sweatpants, lots of pillows, fuzzy blankets and someone
to share them with, christmas lights, christmas carols,
christmas trees, christmas, the first snow, the first robin, the first
fall leaf, a last call of the day, cute kids, chinese food, baseball,
a favorite team, pizza picnics on the carpet, family,
road trips, canoeing, cookouts, paper umbrellas,
reading in bed, black and white photos, homemade gifts,
quotes, scrapbooks, personalized checks, change jars,
drunk phone calls, european ice cream, teaching,
living for today, hope for tomorrow, dancing,
singing in the shower, singing in the car, singing
on the el with your headphones on and not
realizing everyone can hear you, reunions, solitude,
community, making impulse decisions, the absence
of regret, love, a poem.