MJ

“The pianokeys are black and white
but they sound like a million colors in your mind”
― Maria Cristina Mena, The Collected Stories of Maria Cristina Mena

“Never judge someone's character based on the words of another. Instead, study the motives behind the words of the person casting the bad judgment.”
― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

“We didn't know. We didn't want to know. We never asked. All we wanted to do, now that we were back in the world, was forget.”
― Julie Otsuka, When the Emperor Was Divine

“When I was twelve, my parents had two talks with me.

One was the usual birds and bees. Well, I didn't really get the usual version. My mom, Lisa, is a registered nurse, and she told me what went where, and what didn't need to go here, there, or any damn where till I'm grown. Back then, I doubted anything was going anywhere anyway. While all the other girls sprouted breasts between sixth and seventh grade, my chest was as flat as my back.

The other talk was about what to do if a cop stopped me.

Momma fussed and told Daddy I was too young for that. He argued that I wasn't too young to get arrested or shot.

"Starr-Starr, you do whatever they tell you to do," he said. "Keep your hands visible. Don't make any sudden moves. Only speak when they speak to you."

I knew it must've been serious. Daddy has the biggest mouth of anybody I know, and if he said to be quiet, I needed to be quiet.

I hope somebody had the talk with Khalil.”
― Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give