OTHER WRITINGS
ARTICLES
The Fear of Being Noticed [Essay: 1060 words]
It has taken more than a decade to master my irrational fear of being noticed. It's still part of my life, but it can no longer control me. Read about my journey and learn how to overcome your fears here >>
Why Resolutions Fail [Article: 802 words]
New Year’s signifies failure for many people. However, the problem may be less a matter of self-control or willpower and more a matter of how we set our goals. Learn how to implement better routines and make better resolutions here >>
Belongingness [Article: 1,087 words]
Some people draw their identities from the subcultures, social groups, and relationships that they belong to. Others see themselves as utterly distinct from the world. Read about "belongingness," the undiscovered personality trait, here >>
Believe Something. Be Something. [Article: 586 words]
Just because we think something is true does not mean that we believe it. Read about how we come to believe something and how our beliefs shape who we are here >>
A Culture of One [Article: 1,402 words]
Culture is the aggregate values, attitudes, and customs of a group of people. Why then do we treat it as a norm that we have to embody rather than a summation that we can contribute to uniquely? Read about changing your culture here >>
Our Own Little Worlds: The Individuality of Perception and Consciousness [Article: 2,985 words]
When two people walk into a room, they do not perceive the same things. Though they are surrounded by the same stimuli, they react differently to that stimuli and choose to pay attention to different aspects of the world around them. Even when they pay attention to the same stimuli, they imagine different hypothetical scenes. Read about why our perceptions are so individualized here >>
Bigness [Article: 550 words]
We are told to brush off minor offenses and “Be the bigger person” in an argument, but what does bigness have to do with offenses? Read about how controlling our attention enables us to interact with more of reality here >>
POEMS
Dreaming of a Daydream [Poem: 148 words]
The pantoum poetic form is unique and specific. Each line repeats exactly twice, which means it has to make sense in two different contexts. If you haven't read a pantoum before, read the post about them linked below so that you know what to look out for.
Learn about the pantoum form here >>
I thought I would never see it again:
three legs, one arm, and five eyes, black inkwells
pouring into my own. It appears when
stress, fatigue, and worry make me unwell.
Three legs, one arm, and five eyes, black inkwells:
with a scarlet smile, it hears my plight.
Stress, fatigue, and worry make me unwell,
yet I’m not alone in mental fights.
With a scarlet smile, it hears my plight.
Born for trouble, it’ll answer the call.
I am not alone in mental fights,
it the squire and I the knight; we won’t fall.
Born for trouble, it’ll answer the call.
Nightmarish friend with heart overflowing,
it the squire and I the knight; we won’t fall.
I’m imagining and, one time, dreaming.
Nightmarish friend with heart overflowing,
pouring into my own. It appears when
I’m imagining and, one time, dreaming.
I thought I would never see it again.
When Outcasts Meet [Poem: 204 words]
The line between poetry and song is like caution tape in a hurricane—a blur. “When Outcasts Meet” is meant to be read fast, almost like rap. Its complicated structure also blurs the line between free verse and structured poetry.
Read the story behind the poem here >>
Listen to the poem read by the author below.
I see you standing in my corner
with your hair out of order
and your feet turned in as though there’s a border
between you and everyone around.
That’s why you don’t make a sound.
With no thoughts in common, you’d only confound.
But I can hear the thoughts you’re thinking;
I can feel your heart beating,
wishing there were someone who understood you.
I know you’re afraid to take a chance;
I knew you at first glance.
You and I are cut from cloth the same,
but I don’t even know your name.
I don’t even know your name.
We stand by like we’re waiting in line,
plan and plan, biding our time,
take a stab at the truth then turn on a dime.
Though we want to make a difference,
we are kept at a distance.
We don’t know how to beat social resistance.
I can’t help hoping and believing
that we’re meant to be meeting
‘cause there’s nothing here worth a feeling but you.
I’m in love with you in every way.
That’s what I have got to say.
To hear that, I think, is why you came,
but I don’t even know your name.
I don’t even know your name.
The Vigilante's Voicemail [Poem: 289 words]
This is a modern take on the poetic monologue. A vigilante leaves a message for an old friend, begging for help in desperate circumstances.
Listen to the poem read by the author below.
Hey, Jim, it’s Becky again. Will you please pick up?
This is still your number—I confirmed with Jacob—
so I’m leaving a message to tell you what’s up.
I’m not hunting them anymore.
I know I’ve promised that before
but had to face another four.
This time it’s done. The traffickers are mostly gone.
Before my injury, I killed every last one
who had kidnapped a child, may have taken my son.
Do you still think I’m in the right,
though you never could stand the sight
of the poisoned bodies from the fight?
I would like to think that I made the world safer,
but humans were never meant to fight each other.
I have gotten used to feeling like a monster.
You always said I was crazy.
I’m agreeing with you lately;
I’m afraid to live normally.
For collateral damage, I will make amends.
I need your help to start. Don’t let this be the end
of our relationship. You are my only friend.
Why won’t you pick up the damn phone!
Please don’t leave me maimed and alone.
Help me bury a few last bones.
Jacob patches me up quietly when I’m shot
but won’t be seen with me just in case I get caught.
Did you block me, Jim? Last time you helped me did not
go too well for you, so that’s fair.
I recall hearing your wife swear
that we were having an affair,
but I’m not as pretty as she remembers me.
I paid two limbs for the heads of my enemies
and have been living off of their guns and money.
You can’t turn your back on me now.
You remember our first-grade vow
to always help each other out.