18 Quotes by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

Perhaps revenge might be considered the opposite of altruism. Whereas the latter leaves a human interaction lopsided, vengeance demands a strict balancing of the equation. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.

Swift, the twist from ordinary to catastrophe.

..so many of our most steadfast patterns are begun in those years between childhood and adulthood.

This is a female text, composed by folding someone else's clothes. My mind holds it close, and it grows, tender and slow, while my hands perform innumerable chores.This is a female text, born of guilt and desire, stitched to a soundtrack of nursery rhymes.

Perhaps the compulsion to lay a woman’s life before me and slowly explore each layer started in the dissection room; so many of our most steadfast patterns are begun in those years between childhood and adulthood.

All our omens hold the mystery of some grave human consequence, now forgotten, leaving only the gleaming symbol in its aftermath. In attempting to comprehend a turn of ill-fortune, we may search for an omen as prelude, for to find such a sign imposes meaning on the chaotic. In seeking an omen, we frequently seek a bird.

We cannot permit reason to intrude upon this moment. Do not deny us this.

All the while, I keep one ye on Eibhlín Dubh and one on my daughter in her car seat. She grows in that rear-view mirror. Soon, her eyes are open as I turn towards home. Soon, her gurgles can almost be translated into words. Soon, she is tugging at the straps in which I have bound her. Soon, she is smiling back at me. This is how years pass in that mirror: soon, too soon.

Never in this quest have I found a simple answer; every lead is always a prelude to more questions.