Loved this! Such a randomly well timed read for me personally; been thinking a lot about protection and distance versus this raw friction closeness you describe, and I’ve been reminding myself that I’m in a constant state of being undone, in one way or another - or as Virginia Woolf said in the Waves, “I am made and remade continually”
What a great read! Thank you so much for sharing it. Very moving. I don't *need* to read thoughtful pieces like these from fellow gay men, but I must say it's nice once in a while to see some of those specific life angles, moments and perspectives (and humour!) mixed into an otherwise more universal reflexion. Thank you!
“…to become the kind of person who finds, in that arduous repetition, a new kind of pleasure through the slow and sacred thickening of skin, which is not a barrier but an estuary where you and the world meet.”
Absolutely beautiful. I want closeness with everything and everyone. The person who I'm buying something off on marketplace, I want to know their story with that item. The friend of a friend who comes to a gathering, I want to include them in the next gathering. My mum, I want to call her and not let the distance between our cities become distance in our love. You articulate it so well how difficult I find it being someone who yearns for closeness when everything seems to be making us distant and very few are actively fighting it against that in their own micro world.
Loved this! Such a randomly well timed read for me personally; been thinking a lot about protection and distance versus this raw friction closeness you describe, and I’ve been reminding myself that I’m in a constant state of being undone, in one way or another - or as Virginia Woolf said in the Waves, “I am made and remade continually”
What a great read! Thank you so much for sharing it. Very moving. I don't *need* to read thoughtful pieces like these from fellow gay men, but I must say it's nice once in a while to see some of those specific life angles, moments and perspectives (and humour!) mixed into an otherwise more universal reflexion. Thank you!
“…to become the kind of person who finds, in that arduous repetition, a new kind of pleasure through the slow and sacred thickening of skin, which is not a barrier but an estuary where you and the world meet.”
oooh so good
Such a good and timely piece! Thanks, and I look forward to more as a new follower.
Wonderful writing. Thank you for giving new words to that long, heavy feeling I’ve carried for decades.
This was gorgeous!
Thank you Rosie!
this is so lovely, totally deserved to win - made me feel tugged towards some of my own projects, nebulous as they are just now
Beautiful, thanks for sharing
The inspiration I needed today. Thanks Spencer
Absolutely beautiful. I want closeness with everything and everyone. The person who I'm buying something off on marketplace, I want to know their story with that item. The friend of a friend who comes to a gathering, I want to include them in the next gathering. My mum, I want to call her and not let the distance between our cities become distance in our love. You articulate it so well how difficult I find it being someone who yearns for closeness when everything seems to be making us distant and very few are actively fighting it against that in their own micro world.