Each of us has a family tree full of stories inside of us, Dirk thought. Each of us has a story blossoming out of us.

Every girl is a goddess.

The girl in the mirror wasn't who I wanted to be and her life wasn't the one I wanted to have.

After his kisses and hugs it feels like without them my body will fall apart into pieces.

Sometimes a wild horse needs to feel that his rider is just a little bit wilder.

Sometimes she has imagined what it would be like to fly, to live in the river, to run like a horse. She has dreamed of that freedom, that power, and fears the wildness in herself that wants to live as beasts live, moved purely by need and desire. She has felt torn between the heat of her limbs and the thoughts in her mind telling her to be careful and good and always calm. Don't scream or cry, don't run to him and throw yourself at his feet, pleading for him to take you in his arms, don't strip off your clothes and run naked to the water, wild with wanting.

We both believe in monsters. But all the ghosts and demons are you. And all the angels and genies are you. All the kings, queens, Buddhas, beautiful boys. Inside you. No one can take them away. (Missing Angel Juan.)