perpendicular

Not parallel lines, but perpendicular lines. Trying to sort out my sorrow about the loss of David Foster Wallace's life and his significance to us .. when he was with us. Most of us I think lead parallel lives. We assume that we're on the same page and consequently don't intersect so much. Part of that is for loss of words. That was Wallace's genius.. he HAD the words. How do we do justice to our unique and dazzling experiences with words? Is it worthwhile to make the astounding effort to communicate what we perceive and notice when our vocabulary is limited, and our stamina wains, and our audience unresponsive? Maybe it is still worthwhile to write simply for the benefits that result from staking that claim that looks like that point where the horizontal line intersects with the vertical line and on that point exists both something definitive, and something offered a new direction. Does that make sense? I listened to and read from David Foster Wallace. His honesty and his courage and his vulnerability... words can not do justice to the magnitude of the loss of HIM. All you holy men and women, pray for us... (calling on the communion of saints)..to welcome him and to comfort us., and most especially his family and the community of Claremont and Pomona College.