We experience moments absolutely free from worry. These brief respites are called panic.

When performance exceeds ambition, the overlap is called success

There are people who can talk sensibly about a controversial issue; they're called humorists.

Worry compounds the futility of being trapped on a dead-end street. Thinking opens new avenues.

the pleasures of the damned
are limited to brief moments
of happiness:
like eyes in the look of a dog,
like a square of wax,
like a fire taking city hall,
the county,
the continent,
like fire taking the hair
of maidens and monsters;
and hawks buzzing in peach trees,
the sea running between their claws,
Time
drunk and damp,
everything burning,
everything wet,
everything fine.

We may not imagine how our lives could be more frustrating and complex - but Congress can.