Arena of the mind

— Junot Díaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

— Noor Shirazie, Into the Wildfire: Battle Scars

— Noor Shirazie

- From Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Fall. You need to fail. You need struggles. You need trials. You need challenges. You need life to smack you around… to kick you when you’re down… and when you think it’s about to end… you need life to go at it again. You need heartbreak. You need debt. You need loss. You need pain. You need periods of hopelessness. Do not try to hide or avoid these things. You need to face them. You need to face yourself. You need to walk through the fire. You need to go through hell to burn away all the negative labels you give yourself so you can get to the truth of who you really are. You are a creator. You are powerful. You are worthy. You are greatness. You are endless possibilities. But you won’t realize it until you overcome all of it. It’s not gonna be easy. But you will appreciate who you become in the process. Hang in there. You’re not alone. I believe in you. Peace. - Rob

We still have considerable time, o heart, so hold out. 

🌙🌞 An excerpt out of my new book “Muse” Link is in my bio for signed copies (at St. George, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/B05rgSIlYUB/?igshid=1f5brotutbfqr

— Surat Yunus 10:65 

— Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale

— Noor Shirazie

Ioanna Tsatsou, tr. by Jean Demos, from The Collected Poems of I. T.; “Root,”

— Marguerite Duras, from The North China Lover: A Novel

🌙💛 An excerpt out of my new book “Muse” Link is in my bio for signed copies (at St. George, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzJa5TKFO8M/?igshid=1cxvfyvai0b5h

Nizar Qabbani