his skin melted / away his bones / melted away / and at the end of the slaughter / a puddle of sand / lay at the boy’s feet

“The smell of lavender, like her perfume which she sprayed in hotel rooms, in rental cars, / like in Santa Fe where the wheels broke down and we finally faced the sky”

“I stare at the back of Dad’s head as my anger fades and crumples into something I know, something paper-light that I can refold.”

“Mount onto freedom like a finally uncaged creature. / Know your mind and its terrible tendency to deceive you.”

“I wish to cling to an Immortal to roam, to catch the brilliant moon and live forever. I know this cannot be and so I entrust this fading echo to the sorrowful wind.”

“The land was flat and vast with houses and buildings neatly arranged. One could see things like fertile fields, beautiful ponds, trees of mulberry and bamboo.”

“i believe all the people in the world deserve to be happy at least once. i wish someone believed in me. i think that would make things easier. i wish i had softer skin.”

“She has planned and waited and scheduled and stressed in the time leading up to this moment—the moment in which Dr. Gill will be with her. She knows exactly what she wants to say.”