GO FORTH SLOWLY / STORAGE

[aureate]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.4;"]His old aesthetic associations, also from BB.

i. CHANTRY BOY. Rose gold and heavy silk. Smooth braided ropes, candlelight, stained glass windows. Uncomfortable crowns. Old books, cracked leather, crumbling stone.

ii. CHILDHOOD. Muddy feet and ruined shoes. Bare feet on smooth stone, making faces at wet washcloths, whining at the tug across skin. Standing at the doorway hopefully, kicking the ground as you leave. Making faces behind their backs.

iii. FREEDOM. Pants rolled up to the knee. Sunshine on bare skin, closed eyes looking up. Bitter fruit and warm water, smoldering ash and the sound of crickets. Stargazing until the sun comes up, falling asleep at noon. Thick grass and wildflowers.

iv. OBLIGATION. Coarse clothing and reluctance, biting tongues. Heavy stomach and heavier heart. Blood-stained gold, hiding bruises, staring down at the floor. Insomnia, feeling too comfortable to sleep. Black ice, heartache.

v. SELF. Leather. Boot polish. Unpolished cedar. Calm lakes. Well-read romance novels. Slightly over-baked apple pie, softened with vanilla ice cream. Sunlight through falling dust. A lazy summer afternoon underneath an ancient tree. Lutes. The light laughter of a full crowd. Well-worn floors, warm hands on warm skin. Breathlessness, silent laughter. Dropping jackets over chairs, forgetting to pick them up. Windswept hair, cautious kisses.