Mcsweeneys iconMcsweeneysSep 23, 2026 ~1 min source read

First, Add No Shame

This morning, on a walk around my neighborhood with two poorly-behaved poodle mixes, I stopped once again for the baby pine cone. This one already dropped and disentangled, waiting at the border of a small garden.

First, Add No Shame

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This morning, on a walk around my neighborhood with two poorly-behaved poodle mixes, I stopped once again for the baby pine cone.

This one already dropped and disentangled, waiting at the border of a small garden.

Writing can be small and wrapped, layered and touching, tight and nearly eternal in depth.

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The useful part

This morning, on a walk around my neighborhood with two poorly-behaved poodle mixes, I stopped once again for the baby pine cone. This one already dropped and disentangled, waiting at the border of a small garden. Writing can be small and wrapped, layered and touching, tight and nearly eternal in depth.

How it works

  • Hold it between two fingers, hide it within a cove of denim beside your house key.
  • A funny-ish opening, a long and rambling middle, a punchy end, to make you remember my words.

Details worth keeping

What can he possibly say about the pine cone? What's at stake is always life, or beauty, you're not sure yet. The midterms are coming, and nine more years until AI bots destroy us.

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