Michelle Sagara

Everything happens at night.The world changes, the shadows grow, there's secrecy and privacy in dark places. First kiss at night, by the monkey bars and the old swings that the children and their parents have vacated; second, longer kiss, by the bike stands, swirl of dust around feet in the dry summer air. Awkward words, like secrets just waiting to be broken, the struggle to find the right ones, the heady fear of exposure --- what if, what if --- the joy when the words are returned. Love, in the parkette, while the moon waxes and the clouds pass.Promises at night. Not first promises --- those are so old they can't be remembered --- but new promises, sharp and biting; they almost hurt to say, but it's a good hurt. Dreams at night, before sleep, and dreams during sleep.Everything, always, happens at night.

Trying is fine. Failing is inevitable. Don__ let it devour you.

How much did a Dragon hide, when he walked the streets of the city?

Life wears us down around the edges. The stress of life and its neces­sities cracks things. We learn to protect ourselves. We learn not to let so much of the world in, because some­times it__ all too much, and we don__ have the resilience we need to survive it. When we__e six, we make best friends easily. When we__e fifty, we don__. That__ age and expe­rience for you.But books are different. We can let books in. We can wrap them up in our hearts. We can approach them as if we__e still young and open. Even so, it__ not as simple. Because we__e not as simple.(Source: State of the Writer, sort of, September 2015 - blog post)

Some days, Kaylin fervently wished that she had already passed Adult 101 and could get on with being the person she wanted to be.

Maybe home is something we have to make, and remake, over and over. But it's hard to make things when you're afraid__r you're certain__hat they'll just be broken.

They feared you, and love can__ exist when there__ that much fear.