The Alan Sondheim Mail Archive

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 our love


 self-deprecation going nowhere, there must be a space for structure, not
 anecdote

 audience [laugh] [applause]

 surely you must think, mr. sondheim, that you are stale and have covered
 everything, is it not? it is not.

 is it something else, mr. sondheim. [shrug] [jump]

 yes and surely. we are packing up to leave this life. i cannot think.
 there are crickets and sand midges everywhere. my body is a sieve.

 you are a saint, mr. sondheim. [laugh] [kiss]

 thank you for your consideration. but i have no more stories, i am lazy
 to program, i have no conditions. i must

 audience [query] [yes]

 i must complete my theoretical work so that it is bone, not marrow;
 spine, not tissue, earth, not inconceivable and wobbling space

 mr. sondheim, we are with you in our heart. you are a genius and you must
 do this. we applaud your effort to write when you are packing up to leave
 this life.

 audience [applause] [consternation]

 do not fear, i will work through this with my customary and tremendous
 courage, i will not disappoint

 of course you will not, mr. sondheim, you have never done but brilliant
 through the most amazing consequences that would have haunted and
 weakened anyone else

 audience [empathetic] [poor mr. sondheim]

 but it is true, it is the most slightest true, that i will be doing a
 disappointment to myself, unless i am packing up less and thinking of our
 world and its terrible needs and wants so much more, that i will stop
 packing up and thinking of my theoretical work which is so very important
 to you

 audience [agreement] [wonderful applause]

 i know i can count on you and i promise i will never let you down, i
 would rather my heart shatter and my limbs turn leprous than i will let
 you down, which i will not.

 you are so brave mr. sondheim, i cannot believe how brave you are in this
 dark world, and we are eager readers of your theoretical work, which will
 make us better people who will know about the dark world

 audience [thankful] [eternally grateful]

 thank you thank you, i will produce the greatest work and i will cease
 leaving and will remain forever in your hearts and my books and every
 other writing

 audience [more than thankful] [jump] [wonderfully put]

 that was wonderfully put, mr. sondheim, thank you, thank you, thank you.


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