The stars whirled above us and the firecrackers blazed. The moon stood watch as drops of blood fell, careless seeds that sizzled in the snow.

Why not draw naked guys, just to be fair? Naked women is art, naked guys a no-no, I bet. Probably because most painters are men.

I want to go to sleep and not wake up, but I don’t want to die.

A breath of steam trickles out, filled with the sobs of a grown woman breaking into girl-sized pieces.

They say they have noticed me drawing. I almost tell them right then and there. They noticed.

This is not our fight', the old man said. 'British or American, that is not the choice. You must choose your own side, find your road through the valley of darkness that will lead you to the river Jordan. . . Look hard for your river Jordan, my child. You'll find it.

I was good at digging holes. It was the rest of life I sucked at.