Epexegesis (ep-ex-e-ge’-sis): When one interprets what one has just said. A kind of redefinition or self-interpretation (often signaled by constructions such as “that is to say. . .”).
You are a toad. That is, you pee on the hand that holds you—holds you close like a brother, who listens to your pain, who wants to take you out to dinner, and drive you around in his convertible—top down—on a warm August night. But, you are a toad. You’re like a Cane Toad—invasive, toxic: when I see you, I sweat and shake and my heart beats way too fast. When we first met I thought these were symptoms of love. Since you hopped away to Florida, I’ve come to realize they were symptoms of something like mild bufotoxin poisoning: the only thing I missed out on were paralysis and death.
Nevertheless, I love you. Please come home. Together, we can work with a therapist to help you shed your toad-like ways and become like a parrot, a puppy, or a person. Do you want a plane ticket or an Uber ride to bring you home? Or, I can pick you up in Palm Beach at the place where you’re staying: Mar O Lugo, or something like that. I will text you tonight.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
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