(no subject)

[judecorp]

Articulacy of fingers, the language of the deaf and dumb, signing on the body body longing. Who taught you to write in blood on my back? Who taught you to use your hands as branding irons? You have scored your name into my shoulders, referenced me with your mark. The pads of your fingers have become printing blocks, you tap a message on to my skin, tap meaning into my body. Your morse code interferes with my heart beat. I had a steady heart beat before I met you, I relied upon it, it had seen active service and grown strong. Now you alter its pace with your own rhythm, you play upon me, drumming me taut. ~ Jeanette Winterson, Written on the Body

Comments

[whirledpeas.livejournal.com]

That gets me EVERY TIME I read it.
i looooooooove that book.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I wonder if there are any men who have read this book. And if so, I wonder what they've thought of it.

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

You know there must be some somewhere. :p

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

Actually, I just remembered I once saw sijon commenting in his journal about having read Written on the Body. As I recall, he was ranting about how he considered it perfectly obvious that the narrator was female and he didn't get why everybody was claiming it was so gender-ambiguous.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Hrm. Interesting.

I always think the narrator is obviously female, but then again, I think I'm reading into things the way I want them to be.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

What are these things you call "men"?