Quotes by Kenny Porpora, The Autumn Balloon

“To the members of my family who are no longer with us, Id like to say Im sorry. There is a quote by Stephen Dunn Ive always loved; he says, Our parents died at least twice, the second time when we ...”

“Id like them to appreciate the power of the individualand I dont mean me; I mean the power each person has to make choices and be accountable for himself or herself. Ive noticed that people are qui...”

“I ask for tons of notebooks for my birthday, the ones with college ruled lines, and I carry them with me, pretend they're my friends, and write anything that comes to mind. Something about my stori...”

“We met in a school elevator, and he could tell from the way I spoke that we had some sadness in common.”

“I remember watching those balloons as a little boy, each fall, wondering if someday I, too, would be nothing but a balloon in the sky, soaring towards the sun until I begin to fall slowly back to e...”

“She likes to write messages on balloons and send them to the sky. She takes out a black Magic Marker and she starts writing on the dozen or so balloons, one for each member of our family who died. ...”

“For a long time, I felt like I was destined to inherit a certain kind of life and so I wouldnt let myself think of it for fear of being even cognitively associated with it. But writing about those ...”

“She asks to see my diploma, holds it in her hands and smiles, reads it out loud before handing it back to me, and I hold it tightly on my lap, this piece of paper, the proof they won't find me dead...”

“Its funny when youre young you spend your life trying to convince yourself youre not like your parents. And then, every now and then, youll do something a certain way, some mannerism, or youll say ...”

“I look away from her. I have felt like an old man my whole life. And they get to have fun and snort their fucking drugs and get wasted and it doesnt matter who theyre hurting because theyre young a...”

“Sometimes I think, Was she thinking about me when she was drinking? Did any of them ever think about me when they were putting straws in their noses and needles in their arms? Did they even think a...”

“Now and then I see a balloon caught in the power lines, holding on, waving, flapping softly in the evening air, and I wonder if somebody in some faraway city tried to send it to heaven the way my m...”

“I’d like them to appreciate the power of the individual—and I don’t mean me; I mean the power each person has to make choices and be accountable for himself or herself. I’ve noticed that people are...”

“To the members of my family who are no longer with us, I’d like to say I’m sorry. There is a quote by Stephen Dunn I’ve always loved; he says, “Our parents died at least twice, the second time when...”

“It’s funny… when you’re young you spend your life trying to convince yourself you’re not like your parents. And then, every now and then, you’ll do something a certain way, some mannerism, or you’l...”

“I look away from her. “I have felt like an old man my whole life. And they get to have fun and snort their fucking drugs and get wasted and it doesn’t matter who they’re hurting because they’re you...”