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Quote by Li-Young Lee

“Where is his father? When will his mother be home? How is he going to explain the moon taken hostage, the sea risen to fill up all the mirrors? How is he going to explain the branches beginning to grow from his ribs and throat, the cries and trills starting in his own mouth? And now that ancient sorrow between his hips, his body’s ripe listening; the planet knowing itself at last.”

Book:Book of My Nights: Poems

Work

Book of My Nights: Poems

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Author

Li-Young Lee

Li-Young Lee is a celebrated Chinese-American poet whose works are characterized by their emotional depth and introspection. Born in August 19, 1957, Lee's poetry often delves into themes of identity, family, and cultural heritage, blending Chinese and American influences in a lyrical and emotionally resonant style. more

“In front of me girls were entering and exiting the showers. The flashes of nakedness were like shouts going off. A year or so earlier these same girls had been porcelain figurines, gingerly dipping their toes into the disinfectant basin at the public pool. Now they were magnificent creatures. Moving through the humid air, I felt like a snorkeler. On I came, kicking my heavy, padded legs and gaping through the goalie mask at the fantastic underwater life all around me. Sea anemones sprouted from between my classmates’ legs. They came in all colors, black, brown, electric yellow, vivid red. Higher up, their breasts bobbed like jellyfish, softly pulsing, tipped with stinging pink. Everything was waving in the current, feeding on microscopic plankton, growing bigger by the minute. The shy, plump girls were like sea lions, lurking in the depths. The surface of the sea is a mirror, reflecting divergent evolutionary paths. Up above, the creatures of air; down below, those of water. One planet, containing two worlds. My classmates were as unastonished by their extravagant traits as a blowfish is by its quills. They seemed to be a different species. It was as if they had scent glands or marsupial pouches, adaptations for fecundity, for procreating in the wild, which had nothing to do with skinny, hairless, domesticated me.”

Sexual Awakening

Book:Middlesex

Source: Middlesex

“Premature as well as retarded awakening of the sexual impulses is not a rare phenomenon among schizoids.”

Schizoid Sexual Awakening

Book:Physique And Character: An Investigation Of The Nature Of Constitution And Of The Theory Of Temperament

Source: Physique And Character: An Investigation Of The Nature Of Constitution And Of The Theory Of Temperament

“Several times over the years Kate would tell me how she saw Grady in her dreams. In the dream Kate would say to her, “You can't be here, Grady, you died.” Inevitably as she said that, Grady would disappear, poof, just like that. I tried to explain to her that she needed to accept Grady into her dreams. She needed to give Grady permission to stay. Until she did, Grady would have to honor what Kate believed to be true. When Kate said, “You can’t be here,” Grady could not stay. That’s the way it works. A loyal dog obeys its master, even beyond the grave.”

Faith Belief Relationships Dreams Acceptance Obedience Dogs Pets Present Tense Power Of Dreams

Book:JACK McAFGHAN: Reflections on Life with my Master

Source: JACK McAFGHAN: Reflections on Life with my Master