When he felt her fingers, he flinched; he had not been touched with such gentleness since his childhood. He was no stranger to women and had felt their hands on all parts of his body, but her touch made him feel like he belonged some place.
Melina Marchetta, Finnikin of the Rock (via lindseymorgan)
That’s the paradox: the only time most people feel alive is when they’re suffering, when something overwhelms their ordinary, careful armour, and the naked child is flung out onto the world.
Ted Hughes, b. 16 August 1930 (via macrolit)
#aesthetic 