Penelope in Washington

Yeah, so the other day I saw a diamond ad on the side of a bus featuring some pictures of rings and the copy "yes yes I will Yes." Although it should be "yes I said yes I will Yes," the ad was clearly copping from the well-known last line of Ulysses. And in spite of the fact that the world diamond industry is so unspeakably evil that you have to cover your eyes to prevent your face from being fucking melted like in Raiders of the Lost Ark...in spite of that, I have to admit: that's pretty classy. Notwithstanding that the message would have been somewhat undermined by "I thought well as well him as another," which comes just a little before. Still, in looking through the book to write this, I remembered what gorgeous poetry it all is, so here is the last bit, with the beginning kind of arbitrarily chosen.

O and the sea the sea crimson sometimes like fire and the glorious sunsets and the figtrees in the Alameda gardens yes and all the queer little streets and pink and blue and yellow houses and the rosegardens and the jessamine and geraniums and cactuses and Gibraltar as a girl where I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down Jo me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.

Read the whole thing, as they say.