“If I were a carpenter, I would build you a window to my soul. But I would leave that window shut and locked, so that every time you tried to look through it all you would see is your own reflection. You would see that my soul is a reflection of you.”

“And if you've ever grown up with dreams in your head about life, and how one of these days you would pirate your own ship and have your own crew and that all of the mermaidswould loveonlyyou?Well, you would realize...Like I eventually realized...That all the good things about her?All the beautiful?It's not real.It's fake.So you keep your ocean,I'll take the Lake.”

“I look at my reflection in the mirror and I see a girl who desperately wants to forgive a boy, but not without a hell of a lot of grovelling first.”

“BLUE SWEATERBom Bom...Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Do you hear that?That's the sound of my heart beating...Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Do you hear that? That's the sound of your heart beating.It was the first day of October. I was wearing my blue sweater, you know the one I bought at Dillard’s? The one with a double knitted hem and holes in the ends of the sleeves that I could poke my thumbs through when it was cold but I didn't feel like wearing gloves? It was the same sweater you said made my eyes look like reflections of the stars on the ocean.You promised to love me forever that night...and boydid youever!It was the first day of December this time. I was wearing my blue sweater, you know the one I bought at Dillard’s? The one with a double knitted hem and holes in the ends of the sleeves that I could poke my thumbs through when it was cold but I didn't feel like wearing gloves? It was the same sweater you said made my eyes look like reflections of the stars on the ocean. I told you I was three weeks lateYou said it was fate.You promised to love me forever that night...and boydid youever!It was the first day of May. I was wearing my blue sweater, although this time the double stitched hem was wornand the strength of each thread tested as they were pulled tight against my growing belly. You know the one. The same one I bought at Dillard’s? The one with holes in the ends of thesleeves that I could poke my thumbs through when it was cold but I didn't feel like wearing gloves? It was the same sweater you said made my eyes look like reflections of the stars on theocean.The SAME sweater you RIPPED off of my body as you shoved me to the floor,calling me a whore ,telling meyou didn't love meanymore.Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Do you hear that? That's the sound of my heart beating.Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Do you hear that? That's the sound of your heartbeating.(There is a long silence as she clasps her hands to her stomach, tears streaming down her face)Do you hear that? Of course you don't. That's the silenceof my womb.Because youRIPPEDOFFMYSWEATER!”

“I used to love the ocean.Everything about her.Her coral reefs, her white caps, her roaring waves, the rocks they lap, her pirate legends and mermaid tails,Treasures lost and treasures held...And ALLOf her fishIn the sea.Yes, I used to love the ocean,Everything about her.The way she would sing me to sleep as I lay in my bedthen wake me with a forceThat I soon came to dread.Her fables, her lies, her misleading eyes,I'd drain her dryIf I cared enough to.I used to love the ocean,Everything about her.Her coral reefs, her white caps, her roaring waves, the rocks they lap, her pirate legends and mermaid tails, treasures lost and treasures held.And ALLOf her fishIn the sea.Well, if you've ever tried navigating your sailboat through her stormy seas, you would realize that her white capsare your enemies. If you've ever tried swimming ashore when your leg gets a cramp and you just had a huge meal of In-n-Out burgers that's weighing you down, and her roaring waves are knocking the wind out of you, filling your lungs with water as you flail your arms, trying to get someone's attention, but yourfriendsjustwaveback at you?And if you've ever grown up with dreams in your head about life, and how one of these days you would pirate your own ship and have your own crew and that all of the mermaidswould loveonlyyou?Well, you would realize...Like I eventually realized...That all the good things about her?All the beautiful?It's not real.It's fake.So you keep your ocean,I'll take the Lake.”

“I wish I could explain how I feel, but nothing can explain this moment. Not a vase of stars. Not a book. Not a song. Not even a poem. Nothing can explain the moment when the woman you would give your life for sees her daughter for the very first time.”

“Then this girl completely shatters the window to my soul and crawls inside.”