“Cut open my sternum and pull my little ribs around you.”

“Hunger is a blade that carves meI open my arms and pull the air in-big hug!-then poof, right through me, nobody there.It's only me holding myself.My arms wrap two times around my own ribs,meet behind my back for a secrethandshake.I am not what was expected.I'm so sharp-it's cut me now I'll cut you.Come closercloserNo, come closerI'm gonna make you see what I see.”

“I pull away, you pull me back, you grab my hand and wrap me around. What you did not know is—– my heart is my hand.”

“When he laces his fingers through mine, my heart does its now familiar panicked flight, bumping painfully against my ribs. My shoulder twitches as if to pull my hand back, but my heart overrules it.”

“You decent?” I pulled the towel up a little higher. “Yes, if my wrinkled toes don’t offend.” Marco’s swarthy head popped around the doorjamb. “Naw, they’re cute.”

“Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.”