They will say I smoked cigarettes and marijuana, cursed hoarse as a crow in all my languages, and loved morphine and Demerol and tequila and pulque, women and men. I will shrug my illusion of shoulders and answer that I am a water woman, not a vessel, not something you can sail or charter. I am instead the tributary, the river, the fluid source, and the sea itself. I am all her rainy implications. And what do you, with your rusted compass, know of love?
Interpretation
This quote explores the complex and fluid nature of identity and love, emphasizing that one cannot be confined or categorized.
In this quote, Kate Braverman reflects on the multifaceted nature of her experiences and identity, asserting that she is not merely a collection of labels or experiences, but rather a dynamic and flowing entity. By comparing herself to natural water forms, she conveys the idea that love and identity are expansive and cannot be restricted by societal norms or expectations. The reference to a 'rusted compass' suggests a critique of conventional understanding of love, implying that true love transcends rigid definitions and limitations.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about the nature of love and identity at a self-help seminar.
At some point in my life I'd honestly hoped love would rescue me from the cold, drafty castle I lived in. But at another point, much earlier I think, I'd quietly begun to hope for nothing at all in the way of love, so as not to be disappointed. It works. It gets to be a habit.
The solution for mankind is of a spiritual nature. It is not a political or religious solution. It's the ability to love each other. That's the only solution I see.
There is no salvation for the soul but to fall in Love. Only lovers can escape out of these two worlds. This was ordained in creation. Only from the heart can you reach the sky: The Rose of Glory can grow only from the heart.
You are terrifying, and strange, and beautiful. Something not everyone knows how to love.
I just miss you, in a quite simple desperate human way. Oh my dear, I can’t be clever and stand-offish with you: I love you too much for that. Too truly.You have no idea how stand-offish I can be with people I don’t love. I have brought it to a fine art. But you have broken down my defences. And I don’t really resent it.
Being a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of Jesus to others, and this can happen unexpectedly and in any place: on the street, in a city square, during work, on a journey.
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