Royko in/on love
Bookmarked a while back, the Royko love letters don't do much for me. They're relatively free of style and certainly free of the style he'd later develop. But this one absolutely makes my day, from July 1954. (Graf breaks mine for easier reading.) Read the rest to find your favorite.
If ever it should look like I'm out of the running, I could never make Chicago my home. It would be too painful. I'd probably get an officers commission and stay in the service. It wouldn't make much difference what I did because I'd just be going through the motions of living. With you I think I could not only set the world on fire — I'd melt it.
Most people never realize their full potential because they lack a sufficient incentive. If a person has that motivation then he's unlimited. You'd be the incentive. I could do anything. That may sound a little over confident but I know the extent of my own capabilities and I also know the limitations of my own personal ambition. For myself I don't want anything. I could probably go through life hitting a golf ball and wishing I had you.
Every person has unused, dormant reservoirs of ability that never come into use because they lack the spark that can only be provided by some strong emotion. Love, hate, fear — In my case loving you isn't enough. I can love you and still have no necessity for success because the love is one sided but if ever the situation changed there's nothing I couldn't do within reason.
April 16th, 2009 at 8:35 PM
Beautiful.