“Any sharp transition such as this was like birth; the pain was necessary to remind you of its importance.”

“Any fool could see that you're at the reeling end of a long, strong rope - soon enough, It'll be tugging you back.”

“Running the house like a well-oiled machine even when she was not there. Running it so well that all anyone noticed was the rare screw-up.”

“there's this thing about rainbows. they're perfect from afar. but when you get real close to them, they just disappear.”

“But all that was as automatic as her beating heart, as subconscious as breathing - what she felt above all was the fierce tingling certainty of being alive.”

“you're a terrible liar. sarah never mentioned me, because there's nothing to say. when did that happen. when did the old rock-climbing, mutiple-master's-degree kate lose her edge ? i'm no more exciting than an advertsing demographic. middle aged suburban white woman.”

“It's a poem, for crying out loud! The beauty of poetry is that it can mean different things to different people at different times. But you know they're expecting one specific, so-called correct answer, and any other thoughtful response will be counted off. It's wrong to dissect poetry like this!”