Book: nejma - Nayyirah Waheed

• “i sang a god alive for you.”
• “and all this red sand. black air. and loose life. falling into my skin. — snow island”
• “there was an evening in what you said.”
• “i wanted the wanting.”
• “and i heard her say, ‘you are afraid of love. but love is not afraid of you.”
• “and some of us will disown you. because you hurt too much. some of us will have to say your name for a year. before we are able to sleep. — what is left (the day after you have gone)” (excerpt)
• “your father left. when you were in the womb. took his blood. and walked out the door. it would be the first and final. of all the leavings. — all the leavings” (excerpt)
• “don’t give. it. to your children. the thing. that was given to you.”