“...your pain brand new no matter how long it lasts which now means years...”

“Nor can we see the coffin of a person we have known, without experiencing some new shock of loss. In this respect, a coffin is like a mirror, in which we see the image of our own condition, and understand that our human differences, whether of appearance, morality or wealth, must finally be reconciled.”

“Poems are a hotline to our hearts, and we forget this emotional power at our peril.”

“...a river season will last as long as it takes you to reach your newplace. If you get into the river and let it take you where you need tobe, your river season will last an afternoon. But if you fear changeand struggle and hold on to the rocks, the river season will last andlast. It will not end until your body becomes exhausted, your gripweakens, your hands slide off the rocks and the current takes you toyour new place.”

“No matter how you twist and turn, your ass is always in the back.”

“Love changes everything. Days are longer, words mean more. Love changes everything. Pain is deeper than before. Love can turn your world around, and that world will last forever.”

“Oh, I take your meaning now, Marcus,” he said, as if comprehension had just dawned. “You would have me harken back to a time when the outcome of a contest was not known until after the voting. How nostalgic.”