woolley

I look at shock as armor in a life that is essentially one brutal offensive strike. Shock covers up my actually being a prude and also really sensitive in a totally dangerous, volatile way. Gag them before they can gag you, before they can get to know you. If they stay around after the initial assault, there is promise. I practice this philosophy in life as well as on the Internet. (26)

Woolley, Tom. Toilet. Alexandria, VA: Illiterati, 1998.

eugenides

Jerome was sliding and climbing on top of me and it felt like it had the night before, like a crushing weight. So do boys and men announce their intentions. They cover you like a sarcophagus lid. And call it love. (379)

Eugenides, Jeffrey. Middlesex. New York: Picador, 2002.