“Optimism / stung like grit in my swimsuit all the long ride home . . .”

“Stung, I lifted my eyes to his and saw them as if for the first time. Eyes the color of rain, soft as dew and strong enough to etch a mountainside. Tears shimmered there — tears, ay Mother! Or maybe they were in my own eyes.”

“Nobody told me love was warm. Such warmth - I seemed to remember it, it seemed like something forgotten by me since I was born. All the fires are here, and the warmth of my mother’s bed long ago and the deep heat of the sun.”

“Memories are so two-faced. One minute they're hugging you like a long-lost friend, the next minute they're ripping you apart like your worst enemy.”

“Now, tomorrow you got to put on a happy face, not for me, nor May, or anyone else, just for yourself. 'Cause that's a magic trick I learned a long time ago, if you look like you're happy, you soon get to be.”

“The world is full of fools eagerly waiting to hear what they long to be told.”

“Yes. And also, if it's okay by you, I'd like to shut up now... Or possibly just go somewhere and swallow my face.”