“Everywhere, words are mixing. Words and lyrics and dialogue are mixing in a soup that could trigger a chain reaction. Maybe acts of God are justthe right combination of media junk thrown out into the air. The wrong words collide and call up an earthquake. The way rain dances called storms,the right combination of words might call down tornadoes. Too many advertising jingles commingling could be behind global warming. Too manytelevision reruns bouncing around might cause hurricanes. Cancer. AIDS.”

“They're just words is all. Powerless. Vocabulary. Dialogue.”

“Sticks and stones will break your bones, but now words can kill, too.”

“Stick and stones may break your bones and words can kill you too”

“Ev­ery­one else I could call is dead.”

“Right now, me getting killed would be redundant....You could stab a knife right through my heart and you'd be too late....Right now, getting killed would be a breath of spring.”

“Cancer will be like that, I tell Marla. There will be mistakes, and maybe the point is not to forget the rest of yourself if one little part might go bad.”