Delali Adjoa > Quotes

“I decide that Derek Patel, however beautiful he might be under all that dust, is a hope a heart should not have, a flashing yellow light, a reflective caution sign in the dark. Detour. Dead end.”
― Delali Adjoa, The Free Verse Society

“”
― Delali Adjoa, The Free Verse Society

“Are you okay?
Jae. Her voice hovers in the silence as I drop the broken birds into the trash can. A glass splinter digs into my hand and leaves a small, swelling red mark when I pull it out.
Are you okay?
I look up at the ticking clock on the kitchen wall. I can’t be late for my two-hour shift at the diner.
Are you okay?
I rip off my jersey and jump into the shower and try not to think about her black eyes shining like glass. I try not to think about the dimples that appear like magic when she talks. I wonder if I could ever make her smile and how deep her dimples would get. I wonder what would happen if I touched her, or if I ever should.
Maybe she’d break like everything else.”
― Delali Adjoa, The Free Verse Society

“My fingers memorize the way her limbs flow. How soft and careful she is. How sure she is in her quiet.”
― Delali Adjoa, The Free Verse Society

“I wear the memories in stitches, in pain that takes its time. The body remembers everything.”
― Delali Adjoa, The Free Verse Society