That was the way illness appeared in a house, in the corners, in between floorboards, on the hooks in the closet, along with the sweaters and coats.

I knew what it was to yearn for a life so distant it seemed that it had never been anything more than a dream.

My sorrow is I used to read all the time and now, as a writer, I don't have the time to read.

Every time someone forgets, someone else disappears,' my brother wrote.

I don't really read as much as I used to. A lot of what I was looking for as an escape I find in writing. And the other thing is that I don't want to get into someone else's language when I'm working

I could hardly get a boy to look at me. All right, they'd look, they'd even take me out, but no one asked for a second date. I was too nasty, a real wise guy, and all the boys could tell what my rotten disposition was. Deep down, I wanted a commitment with a capital C. To get anywhere with me, a boy would have to sign his undying loyalty with his own blood.

You can be betrayed in your sleep. The whole world can tilt while you're dreaming of butterflies.