Oculus Quotes

“Every day I try to fight my own
brokenness. But once you are forgotten,
it's not so bad: a heart broken
joins another chorus.”
― Sally Wen Mao, Oculus: Poems

“Where do you wander, where do you search for this petal that grows from the stone in your chest?”
― Sally Wen Mao, Oculus: Poems

“I kissed a marble statue. It was Apollo,
it was Krishna, it was Ra.”
― Sally Wen Mao, Oculus: Poems

“But dear universe: if I can recognize
her face under this tunnel of endless shadows
against the luminance of all that is extinct
and oncoming, then I am not a stranger here.”
― Sally Wen Mao, Oculus: Poems

“Forgive me if the wind stole the howl from my mouth and whipped it against your windowpanes. When I lived, I wanted to be seen.”
― Sally Wen Mao, Oculus: Poems

“The sun doesn't set in Lost in Translation, but I will make sure it does here.”
― Sally Wen Mao, Oculus: Poems

“Darlings, let’s rewrite / the script. Let’s hijack the narrative, steer // the story ourselves. There’d be a heist, a battle. / Audre Lorde would write the script.”
― Sally Wen Mao, Oculus: Poems

“And other times, you're astonished
at your own breath—”
― Sally Wen Mao, Oculus: Poems