What's that sound?" Fran said. Then something as big as a vulture flapped heavily down from one of the trees and landed just in front of the car.It shook itself.It turned its long neck toward the car, raised its head, and regarded us. "Goddamn it," I said.I sat there with my hands on the wheel and stared at the thing. "Can you believe it?" Fran said."I never saw a real one before." We both knew it was a peacock, sure,but we didn't say the word out loud.We just watched it.The bird turned its head up in the air and made this harsh cry again.It had fluffed itself out and looked about twice the size it'd been when it landed. "Goddamn," I said again. We stayed where we were in the front seat. The bird moved forward a little.Then it turned its head to the side and braced itself.It kept its bright, wild eye right on us.Its tail was raised, and it was like a big fan folding in and out. There was every color in the rainbow shining from that tail. "My God," Fran said quietly.She moved her hand over to my knee. "Goddamn," I said. There was nothing else to say. The bird made this strange wailing sound once more. "May- awe, may-awe!" it went.If it'd been something I was hearing late at night and for the first time, I'd have thought it was somebody dying, or else something wild and dangerous.
Raymond Carver
Related I like to open for a band as it brings on sort of a challenge and it makes things more interesting. ... KELLY JONES Hey," said Shadow. "Huginn or Muninn, or whoever you are." The bird turned, head tipped, suspi... NEIL GAIMAN The black bird cocked its head to one side, and then said, in a voice like stones being struck, 'You... NEIL GAIMAN I caught a red bird once, I fell in love with her, Took the red bird home with me, I... QUETZAL I mean, d'you know what eternity is? There's this big mountain, see, a mile high, at the end of the ... NEIL GAIMAN I said, I want to tell you something. She said, you can tell me tomorrow. I had never told... JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER What the hell," I said, pushing off the wall, ready to take off the head of whatever stupid salesper... SARAH DESSEN There is a plain under a dim sky. It is covered with gentle rolling curves that might remind you of ... TERRY PRATCHETT As I went walking I saw a sign there And on the sign it said "No Trespassing." But on the ... WOODY GUTHRIE Last night the rain spoke to me slowly, saying, what joy to come falling MARY OLIVER It was not the thought that I was so unloved that froze me. I had taught myself to do without love.<... KURT VONNEGUT JR. I don't know whether it was the general anxiety of being on a date (albeit one with my would-be date... JOHN GREEN My friend once told me she liked this guy because of his hands And I found it absurd that ... CAROL SHLYAKHOVA So look," he began, leaning over the desk, "I was—" "Excuse me?" Bethany said. Her voice was ... SARAH DESSEN While walking in a toy store The day before today, I overheard a Crayon Box With many thin... ANON. I was sitting in my lab, my hand spread open on the table, while the skull examined my palm. JIM BUTCHER The Fever Bird The fever bird sand out last night. I could not sleep, try as I might... VIKRAM SETH Turn on the lights, And hide from sight, As we come trick or treating, Throughout th... ANTHONY T. HINCKS Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious v... EDGAR ALLAN POE Why did you marry Dad, Mom?" My mother sniffled through her nose, looked at me, then smiled. <... MARGARET MCMULLAN Lea stood upon a fallen log ahead of us, staring ahead. Mouse walked up to her. Gggrrrr r... JIM BUTCHER Sour Milk You can't make it turn sweet again. Once it was an innocen... DIANE WAKOSKI This is what I am, I'll say, to leave this written excuse. This is my life. Now it is clea... PABLO NERUDA And I meant to tell you: that was a one-in-a-thousand shot." She raised her hand. "Don't." ILONA ANDREWS Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen ... WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS I opened my eyes And looked up at the rain, And it dripped in my head And flowed into... SHEL SILVERSTEIN A pause. Then she said: "Tell me, Noah, what do you remember most from the summer we spent together?... NICHOLAS SPARKS That time I thought I could not go any closer to grief without dying I wen... MARY OLIVER There was a few seconds' pause. Then Amit said: I meant, what were you thinking just now. VIKRAM SETH Elm BY SYLVIA PLATH I know the bottom, she says. I know it with my great tap r... SYLVIA PLATH Once, she'd been a pro at decompressing, loved to sit on the back deck of the beach house ... SARAH DESSEN You don’t understand,” my dad said. “They stop you.” “Who? What are you talkin... CRISTINA HENRIQUEZ Well I was out in my four door With the top down. And I looked up and there they were: M... LAURIE ANDERSON Buckley followed the three of them into the kitchen and asked, as he had at least once a day, “Whe... ALICE SEBOLD The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was covered in blood. The second thi... MICHELLE HODKIN She raised an eyebrow. "You got something to say to me, Seaweed Brain?" You'd probably ki... RICK RIORDAN Featherweight by Suzy Kassem One evening, I sat by the ocean and questioned th... SUZY KASSEM We slept in the same bed. There was never a right time to say it. It was always unnecessar... JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER She took me to her room and stood me in front of her dresser, which was covered in a pillowcase with... STEPHEN CHBOSKY The stars are brilliant at this time of night and I wander these streets like a ritual I don�... CHARLOTTE ERIKSSON The car came opposite her, and she curtsied so low that recovery was impossible, and she sat down in... E.F. BENSON Then Deborah stood at the wicket gate, the boundary, and there was a woman with outstretched hand, d... DAPHNE DU MAURIER Failing and Flying" Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew. It's the same when lo... JACK GILBERT "Conversation" God and I in space alone . . . and nobody else in view . . . "And wh... ELLA WHEELER WILCOX Then something happened in the next two seconds, but neither Lex nor Driggs would be able to recall ... GINA DAMICO It was two weeks after the day she turned eighteen All dressed in white Going to the churc... CARRIE UNDERWOOD As I pulled aside the linen curtain to the back room, I heard the front door open again. If it was C... MAGGIE STIEFVATER As I age in the world it will rise and spread, and be for this place horizon and orison, t... WENDELL BERRY You cold or something?' he said. She strained against him; she wanted to pass clear through him: 'It... TRUMAN CAPOTE Macon Ethan I lay my head down on his chest and cried because had lived because he had die... KAMI GARCIA You're going to have to take care of yourself," Karrin said quietly. "Over the next few weeks. Rest.... JIM BUTCHER There are moments in every relationship that define when two people start to fall in love. A fi... COLLEEN HOOVER The word "lesson" came back to Pooh as one he had heard before somewhere. "There's a thing cal... A.A. MILNE It seemed my whole life was composed of these disjointed fractions of time, hanging around... DONNA TARTT I jumped up from the bed and paced the small space in front of Romeo. He was absolutely nuts. "... CAMBRIA HEBERT It seemed that out of battle I escaped Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped Th... WILFRED OWEN I must have been in the car for a long time because eventually my sister found me there. I was chain... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I huffed out a deep breath. “It’s something huge, isn’t it?” Beezle nodded. “Yup.” CHRISTINA HENRY Did you learn the rotation of the border patrols?’ said Laurent. ‘Yes, our scouts fou... C.S. PACAT They stay in my mind, these beautiful people, or anyway beautiful people to me, of which t... MARY OLIVER Creatures of the Darkness BY VICKI JORDAN It was world of vampires and demons, wher... CHRIS COLFER There was something wrong with me. The human body doesn’t want to get hurt. We’re pro... MAGGIE STIEFVATER The poet dreams of the classroom I dreamed I stood up in class And I said aloud... MARY OLIVER I don’t know. D’you think? He’s pretty wide in the chest.” The girl looked at me... M.T. ANDERSON Scully nodded. Of course. It made sense. Complete sense. No question about it. Mulder was perfectly ... LES MARTIN There was once an invisible man , the monster continued, though Conor kept his eyes firmly on ... PATRICK NESS The first music I ever heard was only one hundred and sixty days after I was conceived. ... KAMAND KOJOURI She stared at me "You have a message," she said. "On you machine." I looked over at my answerin... JEFF LINDSAY Saiman reached into the trunk and pulled out a pink tulle tutu. “No.” “Yes.” ILONA ANDREWS Wait,” he said. “That’s not a word.” I looked down to where, in a moment of despe... RICHELLE MEAD On Waterloo Bridge where we said our goodbyes, the weather conditions bring tears to my eyes. WENDY COPE There was no water at my grandfather’s when I was a kid and would go for it with two zin... JACK GILBERT My mouth is a fire escape. The words coming out don't care that they are naked. Ther... ANDREA GIBSON What was it like to lose him?" Asked Sorrow. There was a long pause before I responded: <... LANG LEAV Natalie said, “That detective in charge of the case: is he your Jake?” My mout... JOSH LANYON Donneven," I said, in my best Monica imitation, and he laughed. "We're not talking about me." "... SARAH DESSEN My dad said to me a few years ago: "There's no harm in thinking." We were talking about Crazy Uncle ... MARIAH FREDERICKS I went back to the clanging city, I went back where my old loves stayed, But my heart wa... SARA TEASDALE Multihued light radiated up from beneath the water, centered among the reeds, and then diffusing out... KIMBERLY DERTING Like a comet pulled from orbit, As it passes a sun. Like a stream that meets a boulder, ... STEPHEN SCHWARTZ ~Posters with torn edges hanging from rotten walls~ The doctor told me something once DAVE MATTHES He trapped my hand against his chest and yanked my sleeve down past my wrist, covering my hand with ... BECCA FITZPATRICK WHAT WAS TOLD, THAT What was said to the rose that made it open was said to me here in my... COLEMAN BARKS When God Created Mothers" When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth ... ERMA BOMBECK I took in a breath. "What's the one thing you'd do," I asked. "if you could do anything?" Pass,... SARAH DESSEN Movie. What's my favorite kind of movie?” “Is there a point to this?” “Please, Luc... KAITLIN SCOTT In the beginning, God created the earth, and he looked upon it in His cosmic loneliness. ... KURT VONNEGUT JR. Looks like Faye's doing a little extracurricular activity," a voice behind her murmured, and Cassie ... L.J. SMITH Close your eyes and picture it. Can you see it?" I nod, eyes closed. "Imagine ... ALYSON NOEL He smiled. "You’re into me, I can tell." "I’m not into you," I said hotly. Hotly, bec... JANETTE RALLISON Laden with all these new possessions, I go and sit at a table. And don't ask me what the table was l... DOUGLAS ADAMS My letters! all dead paper, mute and white! And yet they seem alive and quivering Against ... ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING We aren't fighting right now." I blurted out. He gave me a sidelong look. "Do you want to... RICHELLE MEAD After a while Mary said, “Zsadist?” “Yeah?” “What are those markings... J.R. WARD There is still one of which you never speak.' Marco Polo bowed his head. 'Veni... ITALO CALVINO She came towards me with a juicy gash between her legs that smelled like my best friend's sister" DAVE MATTHES You're a rule person," he said. "My sister was a cheater. It sort of became necessary." "S... SARAH DESSEN J.Lo gasped. When I looked to see why, he had one hand to his mouth and the other pointing at me. ADAM REX Something about telling that story made my gut grow back together." What?" Oh, nothing. Ju... JOHN GREEN Take off your shirt," I said, sitting up and pulling at the hem of the garment. "Why?" he... DIANA GABALDON
More Raymond Carver
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His functi... RAYMOND CHANDLER Such is the brutalization of commercial ethics in this country that no one can feel anything more de... RAYMOND CHANDLER When a book, any sort of book, reaches a certain intensity of artistic performance it becomes litera... RAYMOND CHANDLER The minute you try to talk business with him he takes the attitude that he is a gentleman and a scho... RAYMOND CHANDLER It wasn't idealism that made me, from the beginning, want a more secure and rational society. It was... RAYMOND WILLIAMS Are we controlled by our thoughts, or are we controlling our thoughts? RAYMOND HOLLIWELL A really good detective never gets married. RAYMOND CHANDLER An age which is incapable of poetry is incapable of any kind of literature except the cleverness of ... RAYMOND CHANDLER The creative artist seems to be almost the only kind of man that you could never meet on neutral gro... RAYMOND CHANDLER Desire creates the power. RAYMOND HOLLIWELL What did it matter where you lay once you were dead? In a dirty sump or in a marble tower on top of ... RAYMOND CHANDLER Woe, woe, woe... in a little while we shall all be dead. Therefore let us behave as though we were d... RAYMOND CHANDLER It is wrong to be harsh with the New York critics, unless one admits in the same breath that it is a... RAYMOND CHANDLER Most critical writing is drivel and half of it is dishonest. It is a short cut to oblivion, anyway. ... RAYMOND CHANDLER Good critical writing is measured by the perception and evaluation of the subject; bad critical writ... RAYMOND CHANDLER God does not require you to follow His leadings on blind trust. Behold the evidence of an invisible ... RAYMOND HOLLIWELL The law isn't justice. It's a very imperfect mechanism. If you press exactly the right buttons and a... RAYMOND CHANDLER The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the most valuable investment a writer can m... RAYMOND CHANDLER A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled. RAYMOND CHANDLER She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket. RAYMOND CHANDLER In jail a man has no personality. He is a minor disposal problem and a few entries on reports. Nobod... RAYMOND CHANDLER So by all means let's have a television show quick and long, even if the commercial has to be delive... RAYMOND CHANDLER Television's perfect. You turn a few knobs, a few of those mechanical adjustments at which the highe... RAYMOND CHANDLER The moment a man begins to talk about technique that's proof that he is fresh out of ideas. RAYMOND CHANDLER The most prepared are the most dedicated. RAYMOND BERRY The boys with their feet on the desks know that the easiest murder case in the world to break is the... RAYMOND CHANDLER If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood, and if they had been an... RAYMOND CHANDLER Its idea of production value is spending a million dollars dressing up a story that any good writer ... RAYMOND CHANDLER Some are able and humane men and some are low-grade individuals with the morals of a goat, the artis... RAYMOND CHANDLER That's one thing I like about Hollywood. The writer is there revealed in his ultimate corruption. He... RAYMOND CHANDLER They don't want you until you have made a name, and by the time you have made a name, you have devel... RAYMOND CHANDLER The motion picture made in Hollywood, if it is to create art at all, must do so within such strangli... RAYMOND CHANDLER The overall picture, as the boys say, is of a degraded community whose idealism even is largely fake... RAYMOND CHANDLER Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid..... RAYMOND CHANDLER There are people who can write their memoirs with a reasonable amount of honesty, and there are peop... RAYMOND CHANDLER It is a mass language only in the same sense that its baseball slang is born of baseball players. Th... RAYMOND CHANDLER I've found that there are only two kinds that are any good: slang that has established itself in the... RAYMOND CHANDLER The making of a picture ought surely to be a rather fascinating adventure. It is not; it is an endle... RAYMOND CHANDLER The motion picture is like a picture of a lady in a half-piece bathing suit. If she wore a few more ... RAYMOND CHANDLER The reading public is intellectually adolescent at best, and it is obvious that what is called signi... RAYMOND CHANDLER I said something which gave you to think I hated cats. But gad, sir, I am one of the most fanatical ... RAYMOND CHANDLER Your rat tail is all the fashion now. I prefer a bushy plume, carried straight up. You are Siamese a... RAYMOND CHANDLER He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food. RAYMOND CHANDLER Alcohol is like love. The first kiss is magic, the second is intimate, the third is routine. After t... RAYMOND CHANDLER It is pretty obvious that the debasement of the human mind caused by a constant flow of fraudulent a... RAYMOND CHANDLER