(no subject)
"Dear Mr. Franklin,
Today, I don’t feel as ugly as I did yesterday. In high school gym showers I crouched in shame, like Adam in the garden, but this morning, in Amsterdam, I was ten feet tall on a movie screen staring down at myself in the back row. And today, in Amsterdam, I sat before her as she explained the history of dutch colonialism without her shirt on. Today in Amsterdam, the tobacco mouths tasted like sweet blood oranges, today in Amsterdam I learned how to pronounce their last names, lost track of how many times I came, and started out of windows, and nothing was the same. Today in Amsterdam, the unspeakable beauty of overflowing ashtrays, espresso gone cold, and a half-smoked joint on the table awed me. Today in Amsterdam the charcoal drawing she made of me naked doesn’t look as ugly as I felt yesterday. This is the real city of angels. They remade me in their image. Did I say already, Mr. Franklin, that today in Amsterdam they taught me how to wear my body? Today I learned that even if it’s ugly, man, you gotta wear it. Like a gown."
- Passing Strange
Today, I don’t feel as ugly as I did yesterday. In high school gym showers I crouched in shame, like Adam in the garden, but this morning, in Amsterdam, I was ten feet tall on a movie screen staring down at myself in the back row. And today, in Amsterdam, I sat before her as she explained the history of dutch colonialism without her shirt on. Today in Amsterdam, the tobacco mouths tasted like sweet blood oranges, today in Amsterdam I learned how to pronounce their last names, lost track of how many times I came, and started out of windows, and nothing was the same. Today in Amsterdam, the unspeakable beauty of overflowing ashtrays, espresso gone cold, and a half-smoked joint on the table awed me. Today in Amsterdam the charcoal drawing she made of me naked doesn’t look as ugly as I felt yesterday. This is the real city of angels. They remade me in their image. Did I say already, Mr. Franklin, that today in Amsterdam they taught me how to wear my body? Today I learned that even if it’s ugly, man, you gotta wear it. Like a gown."
- Passing Strange