Carmen Ochoa

Add friend
Sign in to Goodreads to learn more about Carmen.


Warrior Girl Unea...
Rate this book
Clear rating

 
Loading...
Ana Castillo
“Women endure the labor of childbirth and men send themselves to war! But I gave birth to eight children and never once did I cry like I saw some of those men out there before they even fired their first shot! I think it has something to do with the unnaturalness of killing compared to the naturalness of giving birth.”
Ana Castillo, So Far from God

Sherman Alexie
“The Staging

In the weeks after my mother's death, I sleep
Four or five hours a night, often interrupted
By dreams, and take two or three naps a day.

It seems like enough. I can survive if I keep
This sleep schedule as it has been constructed
For me. But if it seems my reflexes are delayed,

Or if I sway when I walk, or weep or do not weep,
Please don't worry. I'm not under destruction.
My grief has cast me in a lethargic cabaret.

So pay the cover charge and take your seat.
This mourning has become a relentless production
And I've got seventy-eight roles to play.”
Sherman Alexie, You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
tags: grief

Sherman Alexie
“Utensil

While feasting
On venison stew
After we buried my mother,
I recognized my spoon

And realized my family
Had been using it
For at least forty-two years.
How does one commemorate

The ordinary? I thanked
The spoon for being a spoon
And finished my stew.
How does one get through

A difficult time? How does
A son properly mourn his mother?
It helps to run the errands--
To get shit done. I washed

That spoon, dried it,
And put it back
In the drawer,
But I did it consciously,

Paying attention
To my hands, my wrists,
And the feel of steel
Against my fingertips.

Then my wife drove us back
Home to Seattle, where I wrote
This poem about ordinary
Grief. Thank you, poem,

For being a poem. Thank you,
Paper and ink, for being paper
And ink. Thank you, desk,
For being a desk. Thank you,

Mother, for being my mother.
Thank you for your imperfect love.
It almost worked. It mostly worked.
Or partly worked. It was almost enough.”
Sherman Alexie, You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sherman Alexie
“Self-Exam

Dear audience, please stand if you were raised
By a terrible mother. Okay, okay,

Approximately half of you. So I'd say
That terrible mothers are commonplace.

Just like terrible fathers. So let's mourn
For the children who never knew childhood.

Our grief is justified. Our anger is good.
I won't blame children for childish scorn.

But there comes a day when a broken child
Becomes an adult. On that day, you'll need

To choose between the domestic and wild.
You'll need to escalate war or declare peace.

I tell you this because I'm the kid, mother-stung,
Who became a terrible adult son.

And I'm to blame for that. I made that mess.
Because I am the Amateur of Forgiveness.”
Sherman Alexie, You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

year in books
Anna Wi...
156 books | 38 friends

Hannah ...
595 books | 203 friends

Julia
770 books | 89 friends

Alayna
818 books | 292 friends

Kristina
266 books | 52 friends

Michael...
77 books | 33 friends

Rikka
346 books | 124 friends

Sydney
1,217 books | 193 friends

More friends…

Favorite Genres



Polls voted on by Carmen

Lists liked by Carmen