I’ve never really been good at small talk.

" I LOVE YOU BECAUSE THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE CONSPIRED TO HELP ME FIND YOU. "

by Paulo Coelho

" NOTHING COMPARES TO YOUR HANDS, NOTHING LIKE THE GREEN-GOLD OF YOUR EYES. MY BODY IS FILLED WITH YOU FOR DAYS AND DAYS. YOU ARE THE MIRROR OF THE NIGHT. THE VIOLENT FLASH OF LIGHTNING. THE DAMPNESS OF THE EARTH. THE HOLLOW OF YOUR ARMPITS IS MY SHELTER, MY FINGERTIPS TOUCH YOUR BLOOD. ALL MY JOY IS TO FEEL LIFE SPRING FROM YOUR FLOWER-FOUNTAIN THAT MINE KEEPS TO FILL ALL THE PATHS OF MY NERVES WHICH ARE YOURS. "

by Frida Kahlo, The Diary Of Frida Kahlo

" I AM THAT CLUMSY HUMAN, ALWAYS LOVING, LOVING, LOVING. AND LOVING. AND NEVER LEAVING. YOU ARE A STONE. WE WEEP TOGETHER AND MAKE A BED FOR RAIN. "

by Frida Kahlo, The Diary Of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait

" SOMETIMES YOU MEET SOMEONE, AND IT’S SO CLEAR THAT THE TWO OF YOU, ON SOME LEVEL BELONG TOGETHER. AS LOVERS, OR AS FRIENDS, OR AS FAMILY, OR AS SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. YOU JUST WORK, WHETHER YOU UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER OR YOU’RE IN LOVE OR YOU’RE PARTNERS IN CRIME. YOU MEET THESE PEOPLE THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE, OUT OF NOWHERE, UNDER THE STRANGEST CIRCUMSTANCES, AND THEY HELP YOU FEEL ALIVE. I DON’T KNOW IF THAT MAKES ME BELIEVE IN COINCIDENCE, OR FATE, OR SHEER BLIND LUCK, BUT IT DEFINITELY MAKES ME BELIEVE IN SOMETHING. "

PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY THAT IT HURTS AT NIGHT

AND APPARENTLY SCREAMING INTO YOUR PILLOW AT 3AM

IS THE ROMANTIC EQUIVALENT OF BEING HEARTBROKEN.

 

BUT SOMETIMES

IT’S 9AM ON A TUESDAY MORNING

AND YOU’RE STANDING AT THE KITCHEN BENCH WAITING FOR THE TOAST TO POP UP

 

AND THE SMELL OF DUSTY SUNLIGHT AND EARL GRAY TEA MAKES YOU MISS HIM SO MUCH

YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HANDS.

 On Missing Them, Rosie Scanlan

 

" I WANT IN FACT MORE OF YOU. IN MY MIND I AM DRESSING YOU WITH LIGHT; I AM WRAPPING YOU UP IN BLANKETS OF COMPLETE ACCEPTANCE AND THEN I GIVE MYSELF TO YOU. I LONG FOR YOU; I WHO USUALLY LONG WITHOUT LONGING, AS THOUGH I AM UNCONSCIOUS AND ABSORBED IN NEUTRALITY AND APATHY, REALLY, UTTERLY LONG FOR EVERY BIT OF YOU. "

by Franz Kafka

" WE SPOKE ALL NIGHT IN TONGUES,

IN FINGERTIPS, IN TEETH.

" HE HURT ME MORE THAN ANYONE EVER HAS, BUT HE LOVED ME BETTER THAN ANYONE EVER DID, TOO. "

by Nyrae Dawn, Measuring Up

" CAN YOU REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE, BEFORE THE WORLD TOLD YOU WHO YOU SHOULD BE? "

by Danielle LaPorte

YOU ARE AT ONCE BOTH THE QUIET AND THE CONFUSION OF MY HEART. "

by Franz Kafka, from Letters To Felice

" SO I WROTE TO HER. LETTERS I NEVER SENT. LETTERS I THREW IN THE GUTTER OR FLASHED AWAY. - LIKE BOTTLES INTO THE SEA? - INTO AN OCEAN OF SHIT, MAYBE. NO, IT’S FAR MORE ROMANTIC. PICTURE IT: A HERMIT, A CAVE-DWELLER, WHO LIVES IN THE SEWERS, DISCOVERS THE LETTERS. HE COLLECTS THEM, READS THEM, THEN STARTS DREAMING. EVEN ENVIES THAT LOVE, PERHAPS. I THINK I WROTE A THOUSAND LETTERS, THAT TIME. I STILL REMEMBER THAT ROOM IN THAT LITTLE COTTAGE. ALL OF THIS IS OFF THE RECORD OF COURSE. I COULD’VE WRITTEN HER A SONG INSTEAD. NE ME QUITTE PAS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BELGIANS SPEAK SLOWLY BUT THEY KEEP IT SIMPLE. “WHERE ARE YOU?”, “WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?”, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” THOSE WERE QUESTIONS I’D ASK MYSELF WHEN I WOKE UP. THINKING OF HER. AND I’D GO TO BED…WITH THE SAME QUESTIONS. "

 

 " THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE, IF YOU’RE LUCKY, THAT WILL SORT OF FLOAT INTO YOUR LIFE, SURROUNDED BY SOME KIND OF OTHERWORLDLY GLOW AND YOU’LL FIND YOURSELF ASKING WHAT YOU’VE EVER, EVER DONE TO DESERVE TO EVEN, LIKE, LIVE ON THE SAME PLANET WITH SOMEONE WHO RADIATES SUCH LOVELINESS

 

" PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THEY’LL BE HAPPY IF THEY GO AND LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE, LEARN IT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY. WHEREVER YOU GO, YOU TAKE YOURSELF WITH YOU. "

" HOW ARE YOU?

NO,

DON’T TELL ME THAT YOU’RE DOING GOOD

OR THAT YOU ARE FINE,

YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT YOU ARE SO FAR FROM BOTH OF THOSE THINGS,

TELL ME,

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU THOUGHT ABOUT DEATH?

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED AND WHAT FINALLY MADE THE TEARS FALL AFTER ALL THAT TIME?

WHAT IS YOUR STORY OF LOSS?

WHAT WORDS BREAK YOU?

WHAT WORDS PUT YOU BACK TOGETHER?

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU UNDERSTOOD THE DEPTH OF THE WORD “GOODBYE?”

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME THE ONLY THING YOU COULD DO WAS LAY ON THE FLOOR AND CRY BECAUSE NOTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD MADE SENSE BUT BROKENNESS?

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU REALLY AND TRULY LAUGHED?

CAN YOU REMEMBER THAT FAR BACK?

WHAT WAS ON YOUR MIND WHEN YOU GOT THOSE SCARS ON YOUR LEG?

WHAT LIES HAVE YOU BELIEVED LATELY?

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU UNDERSTOOD WHAT “I LOVE YOU” MEANT?

WHO MADE YOU SO BROKEN?

HAVE YOU EVEN TRIED TO PUT YOURSELF BACK TOGETHER?

TELL ME,

TELL ME,

DO YOU LOVE YOURSELF?

HOW MUCH OF YOUR SKIN CAN YOU FIND CONSTELLATIONS IN?

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO UNDERSTAND YOUR EYES?

HAVE YOU PRESSED YOUR FINGERTIPS TO YOUR OWN LIPS HOPING NOTHING ELSE MATTERED IN THE WORLD IF YOUR LIPS WERE YOUR OWN?

HAVE YOU EVER MADE YOURSELF BELIEVE THE LIE THAT YOU AREN’T WORTH IT?

WHY?

HOW IS THE WEATHER IN YOUR HEART?

IS IT A HURRICANE OR A TSUNAMI?

IS THERE FOG SURROUNDING YOUR SOUL?

HAVE YOU EVER LOVED ANOTHER MORE THAN YOU LOVED TO BREATHE?

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU REALLY AND TRULY BELIEVED THAT YOUR LIFE WAS WORTH LIVING? "

by I’ve never really been good at small talk

" HOW ARE YOU?

NO,

DON’T TELL ME THAT YOU’RE DOING GOOD

OR THAT YOU ARE FINE,

YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT YOU ARE SO FAR FROM BOTH OF THOSE THINGS,

TELL ME,

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU THOUGHT ABOUT DEATH?

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED AND WHAT FINALLY MADE THE TEARS FALL AFTER ALL THAT TIME?

WHAT IS YOUR STORY OF LOSS?

WHAT WORDS BREAK YOU?

WHAT WORDS PUT YOU BACK TOGETHER?

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU UNDERSTOOD THE DEPTH OF THE WORD “GOODBYE?”

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME THE ONLY THING YOU COULD DO WAS LAY ON THE FLOOR AND CRY BECAUSE NOTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD MADE SENSE BUT BROKENNESS?

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU REALLY AND TRULY LAUGHED?

CAN YOU REMEMBER THAT FAR BACK?

WHAT WAS ON YOUR MIND WHEN YOU GOT THOSE SCARS ON YOUR LEG?

WHAT LIES HAVE YOU BELIEVED LATELY?

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU UNDERSTOOD WHAT “I LOVE YOU” MEANT?

WHO MADE YOU SO BROKEN?

HAVE YOU EVEN TRIED TO PUT YOURSELF BACK TOGETHER?

TELL ME,

TELL ME,

DO YOU LOVE YOURSELF?

HOW MUCH OF YOUR SKIN CAN YOU FIND CONSTELLATIONS IN?

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO UNDERSTAND YOUR EYES?

HAVE YOU PRESSED YOUR FINGERTIPS TO YOUR OWN LIPS HOPING NOTHING ELSE MATTERED IN THE WORLD IF YOUR LIPS WERE YOUR OWN?

HAVE YOU EVER MADE YOURSELF BELIEVE THE LIE THAT YOU AREN’T WORTH IT?

WHY?

HOW IS THE WEATHER IN YOUR HEART?

IS IT A HURRICANE OR A TSUNAMI?

IS THERE FOG SURROUNDING YOUR SOUL?

HAVE YOU EVER LOVED ANOTHER MORE THAN YOU LOVED TO BREATHE?

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU REALLY AND TRULY BELIEVED THAT YOUR LIFE WAS WORTH LIVING? "

by I’ve never really been good at small talk

" YOU WILL BURN AND YOU WILL BURN OUT; YOU WILL BE HEALED AND COME BACK AGAIN. "

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky