Lore Wheelock

“emptying out of my mother's belly
was my first act of disappearance
learning to shrink for a family
who likes their daughters invisible
was the second
the art of being empty
is simple
believe them when they say
you are nothing
repeat it to yourself
like a wish
i am nothing
i am nothing
i am nothing
so often
the only reason you know
you're still alive is from the
heaving of your chest”
― Rupi Kaur, Milk and honey

“Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.”
― Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock

“You can't measure the mutual affection of two human beings by the number of words they exchange.”
― Milan Kundera