-siara

“... It is not a curse to be confined to water.
Although to an onlooker, the poem argues, a fish might seem trapped in its pond—although to you and I, it may seem to know nothing of the world on land—it is not so. A fish can still admire the reflection of spring clouds on the water. It can still taste the blossoms that dapple its surface and imagine itself swimming among the trees. It understands more than we will ever realize.
His words were so beautiful, so vivid, that I could almost hear that injured fish speaking to me from amidst its suffering: Do not pity me.
My life might be smaller than yours, but it is full of joy and worth living.
Do not assume that I dream of greatness. Do not assume that I wish to be reborn in a different time or a different place, in a different life. I wish only to admire the blossoms in this one.
Do not pity me—for I am exuberant!”
― Shen Tao, The Poet Empress

“It wasn’t that she didn’t like people. It was only that she liked books more.”
― Sarah Beth Durst, The Spellshop

“There is no world in which you do not consume my very being.”
― Elise Kova, Arcana Academy

“Em, I must confess—I am in awe of you. I believe I am also a little frightened.”
― Heather Fawcett, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands