Ivy Alvarez, who wrote the just-published, sumptuous book of poems, Mortal, which I highly recommend, posted a meme on her blog that I've done in the past, though I don't think I can conjure up that old one right now. It's the one where you go to p. 123 in a book, count down to the 5th sentence, and then post the next three sentences. I've been reading the wondrous Max Tivoli, on the recommendation of someone who'd also read the equally yet differently time-warped The Time Traveler's Wife (which I didn't read, but listened to on audiobook while commuting, an excellently produced, dual-narrated radio-play that actually made me want to get back in my car and commute!). Max Tivoli not only has an unusual and intriguing premise, it's well-observed and beautifully written.
So, I took out Max Tivoli, which I may finish tonight when I get offline, and duly went to p. 123 and counted down. But the subsequent lines didn't do it justice, so I skipped back a few lines and I'll post those instead:
I knew more than the easy aspects--her eyes, her voice, her joy--that time leaches from the body: I knew the ominous little cough she gave when she was bored; I knew the smell of the anise seed she used to cover her cigarettes; I knew the tremble of her three visible vertebrae when an idea stirred her; I knew the flutter of her eyelids that meant annoyance at some stupidity; I knew the tears that came to her eyes the instant before an outburst of laughter; I knew her quivering night-cries, her bathtub operetta voice, her bitten fingers, and her snore. The things I knew, the Alice I knew, could not be touched by time.
"It's strange. You're very familiar," she said. "Are you from here?"
Hi, Leslee! Thanks for joining in the meme and also for the compliment on my book. [*blush*] Yay!
Posted by: Ivy | Saturday, December 30, 2006 at 07:08 PM