Carmen Ochoa

“We all laughed and laughed
Because, yes, my mother was
Exactly the kind of mortal
Who challenged the Gods.

She was the reservation Medea.
She was the indigenous Antigone.
But just imagine how it felt to be
Her fragile child. I never stopped

Being afraid of her. I never left
That dark porch. I am still
Sleeping with those dogs.”
― Sherman Alexie, You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

“Her death hit in waves. Not a flood, but water lapping steadily at her ankles. You could drown in two inches of water. Maybe grief was the same.”
― Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half

“Memory works that way—like seeing forward and backward at the same time.”
― Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half

“That was the thrill of youth, the idea that you could be anyone. That was what had captured her in the charm shop, all those years ago. Then adulthood came, your choices solidifying, and you realize that everything you are had been set in motion years before. The rest was aftermath.”
― Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half