AJ Perez

“Do not read as children do to enjoy themselves, or, as the ambitious do to educate themselves. No, read to live.”
― Gustave Flaubert

“Hurting people you love is the heaviest kind of regret.”
― Charlotte Eriksson

“I stood in your doorway this morning
dreaming you’d turn around
you’d tilt your head
you’d softly whisper ”stay”

or that you’d grab my arms
to shake me while asking
what the hell are we doing
we love
each other
and this is not right
so we will make this work
now stay!

You poured your coffee. Stirred the spoon like a crystal man
with your back to me and not a sound. the fridge humming elegies while the clock ticked on
and the streets are so clean here people rushing to work
and maybe I should be too
by now
at this age
this stage
this town.

I will stand in that doorway
dreaming
for many nights to come.”
― Charlotte Eriksson

“We write in response to what we read and learn; and in the end we write out of our deepest selves.”
― Andrea Barrett