“My grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! For now it would be heavier than the sand of the desert.”

“The danger of prolonged despair is its tendency to cloud the gift of a new beginning that every tomorrow offers. –Anissa’s Redemption”

“In addition to my new outlook on life, in some absurdly simple way, Anissa gave me several new reasons to live. Above all, I had to see her again and find out what, if anything, would happen between her and me.”

“But I did feel the vertigo of death’s invitation, beckoning me towards the dark waters below. Only a newfound perspective and desire steadied my wavering soul. I came to realize, just in time, that suicide was far too easy – and obscenely cowardly – after someone I knew, not even half my age, had been through so much worse and still marched gloriously on.”

“She was somehow this damaged creature I had fortuitously encountered along my path and now cared about as a result. Granted, I didn’t cause her harm, as I did with Icarus, but I somehow began to feel responsible for her welfare.”

“A few minutes later, my eyes began to feel a bit droopy, but I vaguely noticed that Anissa was whispering something.”

“The lead-up to the moment was magical in every respect, but a part of me was, and still is, uneasy about the whole thing for many reasons.”

“My past still haunts me when I sleep, although I saw that – much to my surprise- his does as well.”

“But then, as I looked in the mirror, I became fixated on some hairs near my carotid artery that were still there. I pushed the blade deep against my neck to shave them off, and then blood squirted out.”

“But I stayed up thinking about how I’ve been lying to him, no less than I lie to myself in my pre-sleep ritual. And I lied to him again just as we were growing more intimate than ever and he asked me about my scar.”

“He clearly suffers from some past traumas too, so hopefully he’ll understand why I was untruthful to him about mine.”

“Adding to my emotional dizziness on Sunday, I spoke with my sister, who kept noting how amazing Michael is, and what a brave and selfless man he is for having helped as he did.”

“Our bodies were printed as blank pages to be filled with the ink of our hearts”

“You can’t work with people you hate and succeed. At least, you won’t get the optimum of what you would have obtained when you work with people you love.”

“I don’t have time, energy, or interest in hating the haters; I’m too busy loving the lovers.”