August

“There was no point saying, You mustn’t feel responsible. Of course she felt responsible. Denying her regret would be like denying her loss.”
― Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers

“Sometimes there are no signs. That’s what he told the newly grieving parents at the Tuesday night group. He told them there was research to suggest that teenage suicide was often the consequence of an impulsive decision.”
― Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers

“So why do we insist
He has vanished, that death ran off with our
Everything worth having? Why not that he was
Swimming only through this life--his slow,
Graceful crawl, shoulders rippling,

Legs slicing away at the waves, gliding
Further into what life itself denies?
He is only gone so far as we can tell. Though
When I try, I see the white cloud of his hair
In the distance like an eternity.”
― Tracy K. Smith, Life on Mars: Poems

“For her, the smell of cigarettes smelled like love. She dated far too many smokers for this reason.”
― Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers