Words for Wednesday

From The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy

Martin sees his sister once a week. Sometimes they walk around the block, or sit down and eat something. He always leaves with a cake, which he lays on the backseat of his station wagon.

His drive home is a long boulevard with many lights. Sometimes people next to him glanced over. When he smiles, they mostly look away. But Martin likes to think they carry his smile for a few blocks – that even the smallest gesture is something grand.

For a long time now, he has been aware that anyone in the world could be his mother, or his father, or his brother, or sister.

He realized this early on, and realized too that what people think are their lives are merely its conditions. The truth is closer than thought and lies buried in what we already know. (pages 11-12)

Advertisement