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A review by hilaryreadsbooks
Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
5.0
A prayer after reading Ocean Vuong’s TIME IS A MOTHER:
May the taste of grief be slowly rinsed from our mouths. “What we’ll always have is something we lost,” but may we also always feel the edge of a found dollar bill when we reach into our pockets. May we reach towards a world where those too tired to be happy are still alive; may their rested bodies stretch the length of the earth and may heaven still be for another day. May dead mothers still be alive in dreams. May we dream that we can manipulate time and wake up, still breathing. “I was made to die but I’m here to stay,” and may we always have a reason to stay. May we leave people and places and memories so that we have a reason to stay. May we always wish for more; may we always allow ourselves to wish for more.
May this mediocre body still be enough. May sensation not hurt so much, and when it does, may we realize that a body that feels like this cannot be mediocre. May we continue to feel, and feel, and feel, even when feeling becomes too much. May we still love when we are afraid of love. May we still love when we have been hurt by love. May we still love because this is all the time we have to love.
May the taste of grief be slowly rinsed from our mouths. “What we’ll always have is something we lost,” but may we also always feel the edge of a found dollar bill when we reach into our pockets. May we reach towards a world where those too tired to be happy are still alive; may their rested bodies stretch the length of the earth and may heaven still be for another day. May dead mothers still be alive in dreams. May we dream that we can manipulate time and wake up, still breathing. “I was made to die but I’m here to stay,” and may we always have a reason to stay. May we leave people and places and memories so that we have a reason to stay. May we always wish for more; may we always allow ourselves to wish for more.
May this mediocre body still be enough. May sensation not hurt so much, and when it does, may we realize that a body that feels like this cannot be mediocre. May we continue to feel, and feel, and feel, even when feeling becomes too much. May we still love when we are afraid of love. May we still love when we have been hurt by love. May we still love because this is all the time we have to love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Suicide, War, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Self harm