1.29.2008

Light 'n' Happy Crushes

I've got a serious post running around in my brain, but I'm not ready to lasso it yet. Instead, can we play for a minute? I was just over at ms. reverend or not's blog, and she was talking about Billy Collins. Whom I think is darling. Which made me think of David Baker and Stanley Plumly, other middle-aged poets whom I have (completely age-inappropriate) crushes on. Also makes me think about how my favorite girlfriend and I were discussing crushes on fictional characters (raise your hand if you have one on Owen Meany).

And crushes are important. It's good for us to have people in our lives who make us giggle a little, who contribute to our feeling good about ourselves. People are fascinating, complex, beautiful creatures, and enjoying them is a precious skill. Good crushes aren't quite sexual in nature, though they may remind us that we are sensual beings. They're not gender-specific, either. Flirting with people not in line with your sexual orientation can be a light, affirming, caring interaction.

So, out with it: any fun crushes?

Loafe with me on the grass, loose the stop from your throat, Not words, not
music or rhyme I want, not custom or lecture, not even the best, Only the
lull I like, the hum of your valved voice.

-Walt Whitman, Song of Myself (on whom I have yet another crush)


Caveat for those who are concerned: Mr. M is always my favorite crush. The better things are with him, the more likely I am to flirt. He's always my priority.



4 comments:

  1. Billy Collins does it for me (after musician husband, that is.)

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  2. celebratory crushes are particularly harmless, b/c they're never ever going to happen, and thus not off limits in my mind. mine would be edward norton... smart, incredibly talented, AND good looking!

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  3. Okay, Ed Norton is a good one! I think mine would have to be Harrison Ford (totally age inappropriate), P!nk (weird, I know), and Aladdin (yes the Disney cartoon character that I've crushed on for 15 years or so now.)

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  4. Okay, if we're going animated, then Eric, from the Little Mermaid. And Barack Obama. And Katharine Jefferts Schori.

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"So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was."
-Saint Molly Ivins