On Marriage

[doomsday_disco]

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.

Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

 

Love one another, but make not a bond of love: 

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

 

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

Red currant-laced vanilla bourbon and orris butter.

[flumphlord]

 

As a disclaimer, I have never had fresh red currants, only dried ones. You can't really find fresh ones where I live. Therefore, I have no way of evaluating how realistic the note is.

 

In the vial: Cold, resembling a red snow cone.

 

Wet on skin: Fresher than I was expecting. The currants are juicy and somewhat but not overly tart. The vanilla is sweet and creamy, tempering the sharpness of the bourbon. The orris at this stage is just a faint softness, not prominent enough that I’d say there’s a floral element. There’s an underlying coolness that makes it seem like everything is sitting in a bowl of shaved ice.

 

Dry: The bourbon fades, and the blend becomes more perfumey, the product of the orris coming into its own. The currants dry down to something candied rather than fresh.

 

Post-workout: Sweat pairs okay with this, just as a pinch of salt can work on fruit. BO doesn’t do it any favors, but it actually hold up fairly well for a gourmand due to the tartness. Still probably a scent best saved for cool weather.

 

I’m really torn on this one. I enjoy it, but I don’t know whether it’s unisex enough for me to pull off in public in this political climate, at least combined with my innate penalties to passing as cishet. A couple years ago I probably would have full sized without much hesitation.