“And, in that instant, my mouth scalded with bleach and shit, I feel the entire fabric of the world begin to undergo a profound shift.  I cease to be myself, or rather, my adult self.  Time arcs back, carrying me in it.

On the ends of my arms, I feel the length of my fingers dwindle.  Though standing upright, I sense the floor escalating closer as my legs get shorter.  My arms shrink in their sockets.  My eyes no longer sit flush to the front of my face; they’ve retreated far back into my head, as if my true self is crouched in terror in the back of my skull, staring out at Mother from far off.

And, into each strand of my mother’s white hair, fiery color floods back.  Her shoulders square, and she’s tall and slim again, facing me with the enraged pout of her former drunker self.  In an eyeblink, our old forms devour us.

When you’ve been hurt enough as a kid (maybe at any age) it’s like you have a trick knee.  Most of your life, you can function like an adult, but add in the right portions of sleeplessness and stress and grief, and the hurt, defeated self can bloom into place.”

- One of my favorite passages from Mary Karr’s Lit.  Speaks to many things I try to get at in Fury.

#Fury #GoodGirlGoneBallistic #MaryKarr #Lit