Ephemera Quotes

“Sit here,
so I may write
you into a poem
and make you
eternal.”
― Kamand Kojouri

“If today is not your day,
then be happy
for this day shall never return.
And if today is your day,
then be happy now
for this day shall never return.”
― Kamand Kojouri

“I write our names on the page.
What of it, if the paper will be burned?
I write our names in the sand.
What of it, if the shore will be washed by waves?
I write our names on trees that will be cut
and benches that will be painted,
but what of it?
I will keep on writing our names
because in this world of ephemera,
You and I are the only constant.”
― Kamand Kojouri

“Do not go to my grave.
Mary knows, I am not there.
Look for me in between pages
and on people’s lips.
Do not go to my old school.
Do not go to my old house —
I am not in any of those places.
Look for me in your hearts
and greet me there.”
― Kamand Kojouri

“We are all living history, and it’s hard to say now what will be important in the future. One thing’s certain, though: if we throw it away, it’s gone.”
― Marilyn Johnson, This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All

“We exist only to exist.”
― Kamand Kojouri

“Young would-be novelists and poets believe that art is eternal. Au contraire: we are in the business of ephemera, the era of floating islands of trash, and most of the things we feel deeply and inscribe on the page will disappear.”
― Julie Schumacher, Dear Committee Members

“our souls are love, and a continual farewell”
― W.B. Yeats

“Was this where my fascination for documented history came from? From a family so afraid of earthly erasure that they couldn’t discard the transcript of ordering two pounds of prosciutto on June 15, 1988?”
― Dominic Smith, Return to Valetto

“Based on the parts of this... this scene that are not covered in refuse, and the drawings you have done for me, I know you are an artist with talent. Maybe I have old-fashioned views, but I simply don't understand why you would spend your time creating something like this." He shrugged his shoulders. "The sort of art I am used to seeing is more..."
I raised an eyebrow. "More what?"
He bit his lip, as though searching for the right words. "Pleasant to look at, I suppose." He shrugged again. "Scenes from nature. Little girls wearing filly white dresses and playing beside riverbanks. Bowls of fruit."
"This piece shows a beach and a lake," I pointed out. "It's a scene from nature."
"But it's covered in refuse."
I nodded. "My art combines objects I find with images I paint. Sometimes what I find and incorporate is literal trash. But I also feel that my art is more than just trash. It's meaningful. These pieces aren't just flat, lifeless images on canvas. They say something."
"Oh." He came even closer to the landscapes, kneeling so he could peer at them up close. "And what does your art... say?"
His nose was just a few inches from an old McDonald's Quarter Pounder wrapper I'd laminated to the canvas so it looked like it was rising out of Lake Michigan. I'd meant for it to represent capitalism's crushing stranglehold on the natural world. Also, it just sort of looked cool.
But I decided to give him a broader explanation.
"I want to create something memorable with my art. Something lasting. I want to give people who see my works an experience that won't fade away. Something that will stay with them long after they see it."
He frowned skeptically. "And you accomplish that by displaying ephemera others throw away?"
I was about to counter by telling him that even the prettiest painting in the fanciest museum faded from memory once the patrons went home. That by using things other people throw away, I took the ephemeral and make it permanent in a way no pretty watercolor ever could.”
― Jenna Levine, My Roommate Is a Vampire