Michelangelo's Creation of Adam and Eve, or in other words, what's in a word?

      The man who looked more or less like most other men softly cleared his throat before walking up to the woman who looked more or less like most other women.

       "Hello! How are you?" he asked.

      "Who? Me? Oh. There you are. How are you?

      "Wait a minute! I asked you how I was?"

      "No! You asked me how I was?"

     "You did? Hmmm. How are you?"

     "What?"

    "I said: how are you? That's what I said.

     "You really said that?"

     "Yea. Would you please stop this silly game?"

      "Oh, well, yes, if that's the way you feel about it."

     "Feel? Oh."

     "Oh."

      "Well, then...How are you?"

      "Me?"

      "Yea. Who do you think I'm talking to? The man on the moon?"

      "It's just that I don't know how I am."

      "Ha! Ha! Ha! You don't know how you are?"

      "No. I don't. Do you?"

      "Maybe. Anyway, why do you want to know how I am?"

      "What?"

      "What?"

      "What do you want?"

     "Want?"

     "Yes, want...W A N T. Want."

     "Ha! That's a good one! You want to know what I want!"

     "Yes, that's true. I really want to know."

     "No you don't!"

     "Yes I do!"

      "Why?"

     "Because."

    "Because...Why do you ask so many questions?"

     "Because..."

    "Because I want to know what you want to know."

     "And I want to know who I am."

     "Ha! Ha! That's a good one! You don't know who you are?

     "No. I don't know who I am and I don't know what I want."

    "O.k. Let's start again."

     "Great. Let's start again."

     "Do you think that would help?"

     "I don't know."

      "I don't either."

      "So...let's start again. Hi! How are you?"

      "Hi! How are you?"

     "No! I asked you how you were!"

     "Well, I don't know who I am and I don't know what I am and I don't know where I'm headed. I'm lost."

     "Do you know why you're lost?"

     "No. Listen. I don't know how I am. I don't know who I am. I don't know what I am. I don't know what I want. I don't know where I'm headed. And I don't know when to do what I don't know how to do."

     "Hmmm. How are you?"

     "Fine, thank you. And you?"

     "Do you know what?"

     "What?"

     "Do you think...No, I really don't think so..."

     "What?"

    "It isn't important."

    "Of course it's important."

    "Well...Do you think we are in love?"

     "I don't know."

     "You don't know?"

     "No. Do you?"

     "No, I don't. But I think you know. Are we in love?"

     "I don't know."

     "I don't either."

     "Well...How are you?"

     "Fine...I think."

     "I'm fine too...I think."

     And then, when they finished talking, they went home in silence and made love in silence and each silently dreampt of other worlds, with other men and other women who were like most other men and most other women.

      

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