Face to face Quote by Sharon Olds
““After you flew across the country we got in bed, laid our bodies delicately together, like maps laid face to face, East to West, my San Francisco against your New York, your Fire Island against my Sonoma, my New Orleans deep in your Texas, your Idaho bright on my Great Lakes, my Kansas burning against your Kansas your Kansas burning against my Kansas, your Eastern Standard Time pressing into my Pacific Time, my Mountain Time beating against your Central Time, your sun rising swiftly from the right my sun rising swiftly from the left your moon rising slowly from the left my moon rising slowly from the right until all four bodies of the sky burn above us, sealing us together, all our cities twin cities, all our states united, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: Untitled (Love and Geography) by Sharon Olds, 1990s
The poem maps a lovers’ intimacy onto a geographic collage, highlighting how personal connection transcends distance and unites disparate places into a shared identity.
In simple terms: Love unites distant places into one shared identity.
Key Takeaway
Recognize shared bonds that bridge differences.
Themes
love
union
geography
identity
intimacy
unity
Mood
reflective
hopeful
intimate
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- long‑distance relationships
- cross‑cultural marriage
- family reunions
- global collaborations
- political alliances
Key Concepts
metaphor
spatial imagery
personal narrative
cultural synthesis
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you maintain intimacy across distance?
- What shared symbols help bridge cultural gaps?
A Different Perspective
Romantic idealism may overlook practical challenges of distance and cultural clash.
![“Gerber, who studied seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ottoman court decisions, points to examples of Ottoman muftis (official jurists) who, despite being paid by the government, “did not hesitate to speak out against the government when [they] came face to face with an injustice.” quote by Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/790/mustafa-akyol-15064_face-to-face_gerber-who-studied-seventeenth-and-eight_22267.jpg)
