She was perfect. I knew this the moment she emerged from my body, white and wet and wailing. Beyond the requisite ten… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“Over time, we would learn each other and I would learn to love her like a mother loves a daughter, imperfectly and… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“In that moment, we were the same, each of us destroyed by our limited understanding of reality.” — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“This time, there was no escape, I could not turn away, could not leave without accepting what I had done. There was… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“For eight years I dreamed of fire. Trees ignited as I passed them; oceans burned. The sugary smoke settled in my hair… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“Now, as an adult, my hopes for the future were simple: I wanted to be alone, and to be surrounded by flowers.… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“Their lives would not turn out as they dreamed. I understood this, even as mine had turned out far better than I… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“Here you are, obsessed with romantic language-a language invented for expression between lovers-and you use it to spread animosity.” — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“I pinched tendrils of periwinkle at the roots until they hung in long, limp strands, and grabbed a dozen bright white spider mums. I… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“So, what’s your secret?” Renata asked. I squinted my eyes in question, tightened my shoulders. “To staying thin?” she asked. “When you eat like… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“I studied the way the individual flowers clustered around the single stalk, their sharp points fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. Something about… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“I had been loyal to nothing except the language of flowers. If I started lying about it, there would be nothing in my life… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“some believe lily of the valley brings a return of happiness.” — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“Do you really think you’re the only human being alive who is unforgivably flawed? Who’s been hurt almost to the point of breaking?” — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“Have you ever given anyone a red rose?" Grant asked. I looked at him as if he was trying to force-feed me foxglove. "Moss… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
“Elizabeth went from stand to stand as if I wasn't there, exchanging cash for heavy bags of produce: pink-and-white-striped beans, tan-colored pumpkins with long… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
She was perfect. I knew this the moment she emerged from my body, white and wet and wailing. Beyond the requisite ten fingers and… — Vanessa Diffenbaugh Copy Share Image
