“stay strong through your pain
grow flowers from it
you have helped me
grow flowers out of mine so
bloom beautifully
dangerously
loudly
bloom softly
however you need
just bloom”
“A few raindrops came, gentle at first, then stronger and louder, so that Caleb and I covered our ears and stared at each other without speaking. Caleb looked frightened and I tried to smile at him.”
“Caleb read and read the letter so many times that the ink began to run and the folds tore. He read the book about sea birds over and over.
‘Do you think she’ll come?’ asked Caleb. ‘And will she stay? What if she thinks we are loud and pesky?’ ”
“At singing time she said I sang too loud. At counting time she said I left out sixteen. Who needs sixteen? I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”
“She meowed her biggest meow, very sudden and very, very loud. The man was surprised He dropped his bag. It made a big noise and everyone in the house woke up.”
“I live down at the end of the hall. Sometimes I take two sticks and skidder them along the walls
And when I run down the hall I slomp my feet agains the woodwork which is very good for scuffing and noise
Sometimes I slomp my skates if I want to make a really loud and terrible racket.”
“Every night when it’s time to go to bed Nanny yawns out loud and says she is tired tired tired
I make as much noise as I possibly can by turning on the phonograph real loud and hollering a lot”