Two Hours
Jokes about porn dialogue and acting ability are not in short supply, but every once in a while, there are some golden lines, even if the lines delivery is terrible. Gay porn dialogue has gotten better in recently and some even have a “plot.” Yeah, I know, it’s hard to believe l, right? Through the years, there have been a few porn movies with a definite plot. Top Secret (2000) starring Corey Summers in two roles had a pretty decent plot, but if there is a plot in most porn movies, it’s barely there. Ok, I’m getting off track.
Vintage gay porn dialogue can be intentionally quite humorous at times. Of course, most of the time it is not intentional. I recently watched My Best Buddy (1988), which was most definitely short on plot. Basically, it is about two “best buddies” traveling separately across the country to spend the summer with one of the guy’s brother. The final scene is with Chris Williams (pictured above) and the aforementioned brother (I don’t know this actor’s name) they are going to stay with. So here’s the setup for the movie’s final scene:
Chris arrives first and the brother is not home. He’s let in by the apartment manager, who, of course, propositions him, but Chris says he just wants to take a shower to get the travel grime off him and take a nap. Cut to Chris getting undressed down to his white briefs and flopping down on the bed.
As he’s dozing off, the brother comes home, and Chris pretends to be asleep. The brother remarks that his brother’s friend “sure has grown up.” Then, creepily, begins to run his hand over the butt of the sleeping friend before pulling down the guy’s briefs and beginning to rim him. During all of this, Chris is awake but feigning sleep.
Chris finally decides to wake up, and utters one of my favorite lines I’ve ever heard in porn, “I don’t know who you are, but you have about two hours to stop doing that.” I’m pretty sure you can figure out yourself what happens next. The movie ends with Chris and the brother naked post coitus in bed discussing plans for dinner when the other brother arrives. The two guys jump under the covers as the brother walks into the room and looks shocked that his brother and best buddy are naked in bed together. Then, fade to black.
The only thing about vintage gay porn that you have to suspend belief about is that so many of these guy’s died during the AIDS epidemic. Sadly, Chris Williams was one of those young men and died in 1992.
Paul’s Tattoo
Paul’s Tattoo
By Mark Doty
The flesh dreams toward permanence,
and so this red carp noses from the inked dusk
of a young man’s forearm as he tilts
the droning burren of his trade toward
the blank page of my dear one’s bicep
—a scene framed, from where I watch,
in an arched mirror, a niche of mercuried glass
the shape of those prosceniums in which still lifes
reside, in cool museum rooms: tulips and medlars,
oysters and snails and flies on permanently
perishing fruit: vanitas. All is vanitas,
for these two arms—one figured, one just beginning
to be traced with the outline of a heart—
are surrounded by a cabinet of curiosities,
the tattooist’s reflected shelves of skulls
—horses, pigs?—and photos of lobes and nipples
shocked into style. Trappings of evil
unlikely to convince: the shop’s called 666,
a casket and a pitbull occupy the vestibule,
but the coffin’s pink and the hell-hound licked
our faces clean as the latex this bearded boy donned
to prick the veil my lover’s skin presents
—rent, now, with a slightly comic heart
warmly ironic, lightly shaded, and crowned
as if to mean feeling’s queen or king of any day,
certainly this one, a quarter-hour suddenly galvanized
by a rippling electric trace firing adrenalin
and an odd sense of limit defied.
Not overcome, exactly; this artist’s
filled his shop with evidence of that.
To what else do these clean,
Dutch-white bones testify? But resistant,
still, skin grown less subject to change,
ruled by what is drawn there:
a freshly shadowed corazon now heron-dark,
and ringed by blue exultant bits of flame
—yods, the Tarot calls them, fire-tongues
of intensity, as if the self contained too much
to be held, and flung out droplets
of sweat or flame, the dear proud flesh
—stingingly warm—a steadier hand
has raised into art, or a wound, or both.
The work’s done, our design complete.
A bandage, to absorb whatever pigment
the newly writ might weep,
a hundred guilders, a handshake, back out
onto the street. Now all his life
he wears his heart beneath his sleeve.
About the Poem
Mark Doty’s poem Paul’s Tattoo explores themes of memory, loss, and the lasting imprint of love and experience. The poem describes a tattoo on Paul’s arm—an image of a green-blue fish, likely a koi or something similarly symbolic. This tattoo serves as both a personal emblem and a broader metaphor for resilience, beauty, and the way past experiences stay with us.
Doty often writes about queer identity, mortality, and the AIDS crisis, and Paul’s Tattoo fits within these larger themes. The tattoo, permanent and vibrant, contrasts with the fragility of life. It suggests a desire for something lasting amid impermanence, perhaps hinting at Paul’s own struggles or the inevitability of loss. The poem’s language is lush and evocative, characteristic of Doty’s style, and it uses imagery of water and movement to reinforce ideas of transformation and survival.
Ultimately, Paul’s Tattoo is a meditation on how people carry their histories—both physically and emotionally. The tattoo becomes a marker of identity, love, and remembrance, much like poetry itself.
About the Poet
Mark Doty is an American poet and memoirist known for his luminous, deeply personal writing that explores themes of beauty, loss, memory, and queer identity. Born in 1953, he has published numerous acclaimed poetry collections, including My Alexandria (1993),Atlantis (1995), and Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems (2008), which won the National Book Award. His work is often associated with elegy and reflection, particularly in response to the AIDS crisis, as seen in his moving poems about love and grief.
Doty is also a celebrated memoirist, with works like Heaven’s Coast (1996) and Dog Years (2007), in which he blends poetic language with deeply felt personal narratives. His writing is known for its lush imagery and precise attention to the physical world, often drawing on art, nature, and urban life.
A highly respected literary figure, Doty has received many awards, including the T.S. Eliot Prize, making him the first American to win the honor. He has also taught at various universities and is still an influential voice in contemporary poetry.
Monday Morning
I slept later than usual this morning, and am still trying to fully wake up. I don’t have much to say today, except it’s another Monday, another workday, and another snowy day. Nothing exciting here.
I hope you all have a great week ahead!
Resistance Is Not Futile*
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
— Galatians 6:1
Paul’s exhortation in Galatians 6:1 is not just about personal relationships—it’s a call to action for communities striving to live under the Spirit’s guidance. This verse calls us to hold each other accountable in love, to resist the temptations of pride, power, and division, and to be vigilant against the corrupting forces that draw us away from the heart of God.
During Paul’s lifetime, Jews and early Christians faced significant oppression under Roman rule and from broader society. Jews, who lived under Roman occupation, endured heavy taxation, restrictions on religious practices, and the brutal suppression of revolts, such as the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Christians, emerging as a distinct group within Judaism, faced persecution from both Jewish authorities and the Roman Empire. They were accused of disrupting social order, practicing “illegal” religion, and refusing to worship Roman gods or the emperor. This led to marginalization, imprisonment, and even martyrdom, as their faith was seen as a threat to Roman political and religious unity.
When we consider Galatians 6:1 in historical context and the context of authoritarian governance and societal structures, it challenges us to confront systems and policies that perpetuate harm. Fascist ideologies—marked by authoritarianism, suppression of dissent, and the denial of human dignity—are a clear deviation from God’s call to justice, mercy, and humility. Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” As followers of Christ, we are tasked not only to identify such sin but to respond with the Spirit’s gentle yet firm call to restoration and truth.
Fascist tendencies often thrive on fear and division, luring people with promises of order and control while undermining the freedoms and rights of the vulnerable. Galatians 6:1 warns us of the temptation to be swept up in these narratives, to turn a blind eye to injustice, or worse, to become complicit in oppressive systems. To resist this pull is to live by the Spirit, to remain grounded in love, humility, and the truth of God’s kingdom—a kingdom where the oppressed are lifted, and the lowly are honored. Leviticus 19:34 says, “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” This verse reflects God’s call for compassion and justice toward outsiders, reminding the Israelites of their own experience as foreigners in Egypt and urging them to extend the same grace to others.
As I wrote about last week, Galatians 3:28 tells us, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In Matthew 22:39, Jesus commands, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” These passages remind Christians to approach everyone with compassion, dignity, and love, reflecting God’s inclusive and unconditional care to embrace all types of diversity and calling for the end of xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and racism.
Galatians 6:1 commands us to “restore that person gently.” Restoration does not mean passivity. It is active, courageous work. It requires speaking truth to power, advocating for those whose voices are silenced, and standing firm against policies that dehumanize or disenfranchise. Yet Paul reminds us to do so with gentleness—not with hatred or vindictiveness, but with a heart that seeks healing and redemption, even for those who perpetuate harm.
Paul’s caution to “watch yourselves” is a reminder of our own vulnerability to sin. In resisting oppressive systems, we must guard against adopting the same tactics of coercion, division, or self-righteousness. Instead, we are called to embody the Spirit’s fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Our resistance must reflect the character of Christ, who confronted injustice with truth and love.
We see the brokenness in our world, in governments and systems that seek power at the expense of human dignity. God will give us the courage to confront injustice and the wisdom to restore gently. He will help us to resist the temptations of pride and division, and to remain grounded in His Spirit. By following the teachings of Christ, we can be vessels of His justice and peace and work to build a world that reflects God’s love. Let Galatians 6:1 be both a warning and an encouragement: to call out sin, resist oppression, and work tirelessly for restoration—not with anger or despair, but with the transforming power of the Spirit.
*If you are not aware, the title of this post is in reference to the famous phrase used by the Borg in Star Trek, “Resistance is futile,” signifying their warning to civilizations that assimilation into their collective is inevitable and resistance is useless. The Federation, however, defeated the Borg, and we can defeat oppression.
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