“I think what a family is shouldn't be so hard to see. It should be the one thing people know just by looking at you.”

“When the song is over, she bows and I clap. I wonder how come she seems so brave. There is no part of her she hides. Lakeisha sits with me now on the bed and says,"Wanna hear a story?" I don't have to say yes before she tells me .”

“Grandma sees these things when she talks about them and gestures with her hands like she's painting brush strokes in the air. The way Grandma paints her dreams for me, there's a low sky.”

“A woman made of parts is a dangerous thing," Grandma says. "You never know when she'll throw away a piece you may need...”

“It's easy to smile just to make other people feel better. But when a person fakes happy, it has edges. Regular people may not see, but the people who count, they can see the edges and the lines where your smile ends and the real you, the sadness (me) or the anger (Grandma) begins.”

“I think what a family is shouldn't be so hard to see. It should be the one thing people know just by looking at you.”

“A woman made of parts is a dangerous thing. You never know when she'll throw away a piece you may need.”