Stephen Florida: A Novel

by Gabe Habash

“Pigeons mate for life!” Kryger yells, which isn’t true, if you’ve ever seen a pigeon you know that’s not true, but that makes me think of the opposite of that, which is lions, who fuck for fun, and then humans, who fuck for a lot more complicated reasons.

Melancholy is a term I learned about in my reading and I’ve discovered it can be wildly addictive to nurse one’s own melancholy, needless to say.

When you get older, I guess you learn the importance of flowers and good food and old friends. That’s called settling down. But I don’t need to be old to know that to look back and realize you didn’t push yourself for something you loved is the greatest regret you can have.

It is an altogether funny feeling to hear about faraway events in the world and realize you had nothing to do with them, like voices outside your window.

The end is the point of wanting something in the first place, isn’t it?

Closure and reason are impossible. Understanding, on the other hand, is the best you can hope for.