Like a no-holds-barred game of Truth or Dare, I'LL SHOW YOU MINE collects the intimate oral histories of everyday people who were bold enough to offer up their innermost secrets to the exceedingly practiced ears of the noted underground poet and social observer Greg Gerding.
*For so many years, I felt like I was the one with the problem.
*It was the first time we had sex. I literally did not know he had entered me. And when he said he was done, I was like, "Done what?"
*Then you're laid on a bed and all these different things are done to you. Finally, they remove your blindfold. You open your eyes and see a gigantic wall full of photographs of people.
*He said: "I know you're pregnant." And I said, "There's no way. I'm on birth control."
*It was kind of scary because I was like, "This is fun, but do I really want to go down this road?"
*There are some things you need to understand about my past to understand me. My mother was murdered when I was six years old.
The immutable need for intimacy connects us as humans yet also tears us apart; each of us defines our own needs differently. By creating a safe space for personal reflection, and by casting a wide net of inclusion-male, female, gay, straight, and people who'd rather not be labeled-Gerding has ventured upon a deep well of human truth, some of it rivetingly eccentric, some of it profoundly universal.
*I answered a personal ad that was "seeking a model for an alternative website." It turned out that they were looking for a butt model for a spanking website. I'd always been complimented on my ass, so I went and "auditioned," if you want to call it that.
*We were at a crab house. I was giving her shit and acting jealous about something, and she finally just had it. She picked up one of the crabs from the pile and threw it at my face and walked out the door. I felt like a total ass. Everybody knew I was a jerk.
*There was this guy, I didn't even like him, but I had him in my bed and was riding him when I heard Mitch come in.
*I like showing off my cleavage because Paul always grabs my boobs. I like him in his boxers. Or just naked.
I'LL SHOW YOU MINE is the seventh book by Greg Gerding, who founded the University of Hell Press in 2005 as a platform for unconventional artistry. He has since collaborated on projects with both musicians and visual artists, and is well known for organizing poetry readings on both coasts. This is his first book with The Sager Group. By coaxing into the light the small truthful voice people carry inside, Gerding helps us understand ourselves and the others around us.
