Priya

“In that moment, hell may have ascended,
Or heaven may have descended only to save me and prove,
What I carry is an exaggerated memory of an imagined beautiful love.
This love is tainted with treachery; it will be my doom.”
― Sreesha Divakaran, Those Imperfect Strokes

“It's one thing not to fear death, another to sing under its sword.”
― Hisham Matar, In the Country of Men

“Sometimes I ask for too much just to feel my mouth overflow.”
― Ocean Vuong, Night Sky with Exit Wounds

“When you arrive in your driveway and turn off the car, you remain behind the wheel another ten minutes. You fear the night is being locked in and coded on a cellular level and want time to function as a power wash. Sitting there staring at the closed garage door you are reminded that a friend once told you there exists the medical term—John Henryism—for people exposed to stresses stemming from racism. They achieve themselves to death trying to dodge the buildup of erasure. Sherman James, the researcher who came up with the term, claimed the physiological costs were high. You hope by sitting in silence you are bucking the trend.”
― Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric