ginseng poetry

Glamour is constructed, elegance is acquired, and charm is innate.

"Mostly, though, she talks about Serge. Always Serge. Asked what her favourite song of hers is, she says, “That Serge wrote for me?” No, I say. That she wrote herself." (...) But how do we know she didn't like being naked and chained to a radiator? (Let she who's never begged to be tied up cast the first stone.) Birkin's willingness to expose paved the way for two generations of S&M-loving starlets: Madonna, Britney, Gaga, Rihanna. They've all been called pro-sex feminist icons; too bad none of them look much like they're getting off. At least Birkin not only looked, but so famously sounded, like she was. (...) “We thought it would be forever, but we did last 13 years and that's not bad. You have that love and faithfulness once in your life.” For what it's worth, she has lived alone since Serge's death. That's some Titanic shit right there. Birkin turns 65 in two weeks.

What makes a good conversationalist has changed little over the years. The basics remain the same as when Cicero became the first scholar to write down some rules, which were summarised in 2006 by The Economist: “Speak clearly; speak easily but not too much, especially when others want their turn; do not interrupt; be courteous; deal seriously with serious matters and gracefully with lighter ones; never criticise people behind their backs; stick to subjects of general interest; do not talk about yourself; and, above all, never lose your temper.” But Cicero was lucky: he never went on a first date with someone more interested in their iPhone than his company.