Badz

“You know, Rukhsana, I thought I was being a good Muslim, stopping you from committing a grave sin. But that night, I realized I was the real sinner. In the eyes of Allah, I was doing wrong. To hate someone because of who they love⁠—that is the worst thing I could do as a Muslim, as a human being, but mostly as a mother. When we found out that Sohail was killed because he was gay, I knew that Allah would never want that for anyone. And I knew that I still had the chance to make things right but it breaks my heart every day to know that it took Sohail's death to open my eyes. For that, I will never forgive myself.”
― Sabina Khan, The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali

“A lethargy took over and I just wanted to sleep the time away. I stared listlessly at the ceiling, trying to remember the last time I'd felt normal, just carefree and happy. It should have frightened me but instead, I felt an intense longing to close my eyes and never open them again. It was so much easier this way. I felt nothing, no pain or yearning.”
― Sabina Khan, The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali

“She hums. It must be unconscious. She never hums a full song, only a few notes. Sometimes the same three notes over and over. Sometimes just one note in different lengths, creating more of a beat than a tune, like she is scared of silence.”
― Jenny Mustard, Okay Days

“When I was young, all that fathers ever had to do was sit in offices, eat at restaurants for lunch, do whatever they wanted wherever they went, and then come home and appear hardworking and loyal. Loyal, just for com-ing home to eat food and enjoy a clean and well-run house that a woman maintained just so a father could do whatever he wanted inside and outside of it.”
― Sarah Manguso, Liars