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  • Ode to the Lonely

    Dear ____________ ,

    It’s been a while since I’ve let myself sit with you.

    You come to me in my dreams sometimes. Or, I guess after my dreams, really. Dreams of contentment, passion, stolen kisses. Love. Memories of music with scents of home-cooked meals dance together in my mind while I feel a hand rubbing my back as I stand over a stove. Afternoons relaxing with another after a hard day of work. The bliss of late mornings lying around in bed with a lover. Imaginings of a future that I will never have. But I have to wake up eventually, and there you are.

    Abandonment.

    I long for a breath behind me, the rustling of sheets, an arm draped over my waist. I remember the warmth of another body, the rhythm of a heartbeat against my cheek as someone held me. Now I just feel cold in the empty bed. I hear only my breath and a sole heartbeat. The lack of connection, no other life in the room. And there you are.

    Silence.

    I try not to linger there. It hurts to remember feeling safe like that and then the ache as it tears away. I remember the bad parts then. Walking on eggshells, patronizing disproval, feeling like I’m not allowed to talk about my pain. I questioned myself. Never trusting in my own competence and intellect. The constant need for validation and reassurance. The need to feel like someone else thinks I’m “good enough.” I distract myself from you with new hobbies and responsibilities, proving my capability to myself. I still can’t shake that feeling, though.

    Rejection.

    However, I must tell you; I’m moving past you. Day by day, I feel my spirit coming back, though it is still so tired. I am learning to love my solitude. I feel the freedom and independence that comes with it. No need for permission to start a task or make a friend. No longer questioning and second guessing my every action. I can see a future where my confidence shines. Where I walk into a room and people feel the calm that I radiate. I will see a task and know I can complete it. See a person and offer to stand by them. Find love that accepts that I am a whole person.

    I’ve made art, so deeply moving, I could never have shown you. I have learned new concepts and philosophies that you could never comprehend. I transformed my home into a sanctuary, a place reflecting my soul’s effort. I’m learning that my body is worthy of real love and care. That I am worthy of love and care.

    Someday, abandonment will become a reclamation of myself. Silence will be peace. Rejection will be resilience. I will heal the fear of rejection, of abandonment, and silence in my future. I will work for the confidence to ask for help when I need it. I will make my own happiness.

    More than anything, I hope to one day love myself. To finally and truly embrace being-

    Alone.

    Sincerely,

    Mickel

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    Mickel Kimball

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    • Mickel, your fears are common, but that doesn’t make them any less powerful. When we are afraid of being alone, we question ourselves and wonder if we are good enough. I am glad that you are learning to love yourself and that you are finding comfort in your own company. Thank you for sharing your experience!

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  • My fear won’t stop my dream of driving.

    The fear is the worst feeling on the world, it paralyzes you from reality and it’s an obstacle to achieving your dreams and desires, I hate you fear from keeping me away to become a driver.

    I don’t know if that happen to you, but for me driving it’s been in my wishlist for so long time, and the fear is the responsible to procrastinate this until the end, I’m really tired of having the desire of learn to drive and have my own car, but the fear is pushing me out of achieve it.

    My fear of not be capable of do that is killing my self-esteem, it’s creating anxiety of thinking that I will be never able to learn how to drive, the fear is a fear that finish with all my hopes.

    I really want to learn how to drive, I don’t want to be dependable of others on going to the places that I want and need to go, I’m tired of been a pray of the fear, I just want to be fear free and learn how to drive like the others.

    I deserve to have a nice car, I deserve to exterminate the fear of driving and gifting me a good ride to myself, I have planned to overcome it with bravery and courage, I need to trust in my abilities and inner force, I plan to learn how to drive soon, the time is flying and I need to hurry up, I need to conquer my driving dreams and take it easy on me.

    I need to conquer my fear of learn how to drive with determination and constant practice until I dominate the ability of drive, I need to pay a good driving class and be positive and calm through all the learning process, I need to keep telling me that I can do wherever I want, is just a matter of patience, time and a positive mind.

    The fear of how to drive won’t win because I’m greatest of my dreams, I have a strong spirit of persistence and resilience, the fear won’t win this long war between the two of us, I’m focused and motivated on driving this year 2025.

    Yesenia Silveyra

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    • Yesenia, when you are afraid of something that everyone else seems to do easily, it can really take a toll on your confidence. You are right that you deserve a nice car and you deserve the freedom to come and go as you please. I hope that you are able to conquer your fear of driving and reach your goal this year! Thank you for sharing your experience.

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  • Fears illusions

    Dear fear

    I know we speak often, one would say we’ve become friends. Our relationship has changed so much over the years, I think it’s on the mend. I see you as an invitation now. Somewhere the light is trying to creep in. The shut door’s cracked window revealed a new beginning. You used to paralyze me and you can still have that effect. I remember that I’ve stepped through that brightness. I’ve soaked in the sun beyond any closed doors. You show me my strength, and where I still need to grow, that sometimes it feels like we’re free falling and sometimes that can be excitement if I let it flow.

    Sarah Samson

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    • Sarah, your writing does a great job of explaining the complex feelings associated with fear. Sometimes fear is welcome and helps keep us from making mistakes, but other times fear holds us back. Even when we are paralyzed, fear helps us learn about ourselves. I hope that you are able to integrate fear into your life without letting it consume…read more

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  • Alone with the faces

    Hey kid,

    I’m so so so sorry.

    I know this is supposed to be one of our best memories, our last moments of being a kid

    we graduated college this year so it’s supposed to be really good, our greatest event.

    My one moment of fame.

    But alas, within a minute it’s over , no time for closure. a thing of the past it just doesn’t last. My worst moments fill even our best days.

    Mini nightmares coming true …. That wasn’t supposed to be me … or you .

    As I sat in that black gown, the tassel overstimulating me, yanking my glasses like a naughty child

    I was finally

    Walking that stage

    But I wasn’t happy that day.

    As I looked at the ghosts of friends, I’d supposedly made

    I was alone

    I’m sorry they missed the event

    but not you … not enough to make you feel special … just once

    That they wanted to take credit for what you did

    Without you

    I’m sorry

    There was no cake to celebrate

    That you’re buying your own to eat by yourself

    Along with the alcohol to wash it down

    That they’ve got you down on yourself again

    Excluded … by your own family

    Thats you …. That’s me

    But you did it yayyyy….

    4 years of a place you didn’t want where you were given more pain than you can stand

    Just for a bit of safety

    And that

    No one understands.

    Am I proud? …. sure.

    Hard to be proud when you had to do it by yourself and in the end, there’s not even a place for my diploma on a shelf.

    Sigh the bad , dare I say worst thing about a winter graduation.

    Christmas, which used to be our favorite Holliday,

    Turned to hell,

    It’s hardest to be proud,

    When you’re completely by yourself.

    All I know is my biggest fear was once being alone
    But I faced that reality through the dial tone of a phone.

    Megan langlois

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    • Megan, congratulations on your graduation! I’m sorry that your day was less than ideal, but I hope you realize that you deserved the recognition. Being alone is hard for everyone, but it is even harder on occasions that would typically result in celebrations. I hope that you find the happiness you deserve! Thank you for sharing your story.

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  • taydwhit submitted a contest entry to Group logo of Write a letter to your fear (Sponsored by ProWritingAid)Write a letter to your fear (Sponsored by ProWritingAid) 5 months, 3 weeks ago

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    A Letter to My Fear

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  • Dear Fear

    Dear Fear,

    I sit here, watching 2024 come to a close. I have a terminal diagnosis. 2026 and I will not know each other, but that is not my fear. Death is not my fear.

    My fear is bigger, my fear is more existential. My fear is that my half century on this Earth mattered to no one. After I’m gone, people will remember me for a while, hopefully with a small wry smile or a large hearty laugh, and eventually thoughts and memories of me will fade and dim. My fear is that there is not a soul to whom I made a momentous difference, for whom I lit up their passions, or showed how to navigate terrible situations, or acted with love and inclusion.

    When I become new dust on Earth, when others sell or donate my possessions, when my scent is gone from the air, and when nothing tangible remains of me, what will happen?

    Can we overcome this fear in a finite and miniscule amount of time? Perhaps. I will pursue a legacy of love and laughter. I will smile at the stranger, I will give generously, I will laugh, I will befriend the outcasts of society, a club to which I strongly feel we all belong. I’ll stop putting off my writing goals for when I “have more time”. I have no more time. 

    I don’t think my fear can be completely overcome. I will take it with me to my last days and beyond, but that does not mean that I cannot work towards owning and overcoming my fear. It means I must live louder and stronger than my fear. It means I do it and I do it afraid.

    Afraid, but not defeated,

    Melissa

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    • Melissa, you will live on in ways you don’t know. And that is faith. You have shared yourself, be it a smile or a tear. You will be ever loved and remembered for the way you made someone feel. Over this platform you have changed me, I will forever be grateful. I too wonder about my legacy, if I have given enough, and been brave and gracious enough…read more

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    • Melissa, you are such an inspiration. Your letter brought tears to my eyes and I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. While I am unable to relate to what you are experiencing, I am certain that you have impacted those around you in big ways. I think it is beautiful that you are using the time you have to bring light to the lives of others.…read more

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    • Oh Melissa, this piece alone will be remembered! I can feel your soul in it and I am certain you have touched so many lives. Sending you lots and lots and lots of hugs. <3 Lauren

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  • “Because They Feared Her Truth: My Eyes Don’t Lie”

    ( Here I have written a Short personal story about my fear(s), as i advocate in defense for her( Fears-truth). I go in slight detail describing my reasons for seclusion over the years from the many shadow people Ive encountered, portrayed as your everyday modern people, in a town I secretly call “ The City of Masks”. I share with you a view of my battles ( Fear) living within the inner city at Present day moment. Here I reflect through brief examples of time, as we count down the days walking into 2025. May you riddle through the scenes of my lifes Truth, as her called “FEAR”, journeying as you read and feel with your senses and interpret these words from your inner voice processing the imagery as MY thoughts. I also share befriending the struggle of having Complex PTSD, something ive become adapted to because of the fears.

    -Enjoy

    “Here she comes, and there she goes. Closing all of doors as she walks away from the many liars that were paid actors in her life”. More than often , they were all a test of time, though the wise say time does not exist. If we were to sleep with our eyes open we wont notice a thing, No different to the sight of our skin as we age, like counting each grain of sand as it falls or the lines of wrinkles that appear everytime we blink. Tell it to the gray hairs ive noticed popping up over the years that i wear with pride and take as a medal of honor for wisdom.

    Like a samurai with her sword, a dagger of truth is what I tote. For the many silent battles Ive won solving the once hidden riddles of cold cases that were forced closed by the authors of corruption deemed as model citizens hoisting there cursed badges and smug smiles of cracked glass as they marvel themselves with vanity lying to the world. They found joy and solace in baiting the many people i used to know with dirty money, buying a ghostly departure of silence, it became similar to waking up in your home of an open door like a thief had come and gone in the middle of the night. “There words spoke darkness coveting a rouse of death with fear questioning discussions to the pieces of my life, as if I were a large puzzle they were trying to solve like a mobster stationed in an alley way, waiting to snatch you up while walking home in the dead of night… never to hear from them again”. The fear of opening up to the wrong crowd, or a single person troubled me to not converse anymore wondering who sent them depending on the questions they asked like knowing portions to my past as if they came in scripted, this may seem as an intrigued read though this is indeed pure non fiction.

    Just like the time in 2021 when a mentalist and his wife so happened to be parked across the street from my house by King Park that summer. He got out of his car and came in a joking manner to ask me to think of a number , hold it in my mind, then add possibly 10 or 20 to that number for him to guess- which he did three separate times to perform his skill to me as a mind reader though he never openly admitted to being such. I smiled with admiration and inclined that that was a God given gift and should be used as a tool to help people for the good and congratulated him as he departed away from me ( In that moment In my mind I was hoping he read my thoughts of the danger in breaking spiritual law with the intent to bio hack the mind for purposes of psychological warfare) “tisk tisk” what a guy. “You never meet people by coincidence , we all serve a purpose when we cross paths in another’s life, even if its a short greeting when walking past, no one ever forgets the beauty of a simple smile”. Lets not forget about the fear I had when i crossed paths with a shape shifting reptilian who eyes flipped under the street light during a full moon.

    This figure was a computer tech , hacker , loud mouth bozo who bragged of his Masonic cult ties with a Middle Eastern background. He called him self a poltergeist ( eye roll) , though every time he came by things would fall off my wall or go missing ,lbvs. There was no fearing there in regards to him, again, Its just the thought that there are people with supernatural gifts that abuse them for darker agendas rather than serving the greater good of humanity. They instead find happiness in toying with the vulnerable creating havoc in their lives all while harvesting not only the victims energy, but there ideas and creations, modeling in another’s skin of divinity. “ They are like sharks who smell blood in the deepest ocean , ready to feed upon the fear of those who are trying to survive a life of terror hoping to purify themselves in the bluest water” but beware the of narks ( The definition of a crooked narcissistic police informant) are just the human form of the Great White Shark, a predator of the meek none the less.

    All of my years of living i’ve encountered alot of Agent Smiths . Some dont even deserve the notion of mentioning , it would gratify there ploy to be the murderous villain in my life, though me exposing these truths would set her free,…set Fear free. “She deserves that , to be set free from the bondage of being on constant edge, a warrior woman who deserves more than her flowers but a purple heart for her grit and strength that helped amplify my purpose in the thick of it all. “Fear kept the faith strong ,because when she prayed those cries to the heavens turned my tears of waves into Hurricanes that washed in Gods warmth of mercy for my aching heart, but awakened a wrath from the darkness of Heavens universal fire sent to all of the devils children , who took an oath to be puppets to the harlots grand scheme of a dauntless schism of grief .” Once you learn to surrender, Over night it could blow in the winds of change so bold and loud like that of the ” Tri State Tornado”… metaphorically speaking, “Truth will rain in the light of justice in the most surreal way, as if Salvador Dali painted the outcome himself”. Those who played with a badge and cuffs were the ones now being shackled and forced to face themselves in the room of mirrors that shamed them in gruesome chants heralding JUDGEMENT for all of the innocence the world has lost to the egregious acts covered and sealed by those sworn in the manish mens Chambers of Secret.
    A sound of lightening would appear to every crack that would splice in each mirror facet for every scream never heard, that was covered by the hands of a crooked authoritative figure lying under oath. Every dark occult would be exposed for shielding the pain with there book of illusions to set free the earth bound souls of those forgotten as they swayed across the fields in the night hoping for a single thought of remembrance by a loved one still living. Even a mother gone would turn over in her grave by the whispers of those murmuring a plot for premeditated death to her children, she will arise as the reaper herself from below to bring vengeance. Even if mother is long gone, she will find a way to come back to let you in on the truth, cause after all… A mother knows”. Wisdom will appear like visions in a dream, Like smoke signals pillowing above in the sky to alert the Chief.

    “ My dreams are like warning signs that herald the truth, because my eyes do not lie” i’ve evaded death many times as proof. The deceivers fear my voice when I speak, that’s why they slandered my character and put poison in my food and drink just so i wouldn’t remember a thing. It was an attempt with hope that id never awaken, with a sane mind remembering the words they said before they left, not knowing i knew exactly what it was when they left a dead crow filled with bugs wrapped with twine thrown on my wicker seating as they attempted to hex me and my childs life. I still live knowing the beings of light reflected that arrow of darkness back to the deranged conjurers whose eyes were filled with envy, congregating in there coven of Stockholm abusers pretending to be pro life and believers of divinity. Manipulators of all kinds have toyed with my mental like clans of Jekyll and Hyde showmen, gaslighting my sanity to only strengthen my awareness to sense when I was being tested by being tempted .

    They used dirt and bones casting magic from the graveyard and Jar spells from down yonder, “ From the very same place in the bayou where Katrina once reigned in with the karmic wish of death for debt from conjuring with spirits forbidden to Hells kitchen of haitian shadow men and Jinns never heard of… Though i knew them because we battled numbers of many lifetimes ago”. And because i knew, They feared the voice of my truth. They jumped to the quickness to spread lies and gossip. They wanted to be baneful by musing in the image of a lesser god for power, gluttony and the rest of the deadly sins as a way to antagonize my character of knowing in a group of scared satanist harboring there hatred. The light of truth began to pour in the corners of there dim lit rooms where the skeletons they hid were to much to hide that prevented their closet door from shutting.

    Just like Fear, she wouldnt let me stay quiet and stop defending what was right. I proceeded in secret going to court while speaking up for my child regardless of the threats of the judge against her crooked cop of a father who lied and denied an unhealthy amount of times , grooming in an attempt to confuse my daughters fragile mind way before she could reach adolescence . This silent war battling fear became wicked because i chose to speak up thus granting me a gift of a lifetime trinket of complex PTSD. A stored memory bank of the repetitive traumatic events and discussions remain dormant casted in the walls of my mind like a vivid mural that moves with scenes like a play back for an old fashioned movie projector . I will never forget the smells, the gut retching pinch in my abdomen at certain cues , the undertones in there voices, neither the action or inaction when emotional support was neglected because of my courage to point out there immoral nature as sexual deviants and unbothered reactions.

    The Fear taught me self respect and gave me the push to walk away after all the facts were gathered .“ The City Of Masks” is what I named it after it became clear that i was standing alone in the storm, seeing that the people I loved either stayed mute or jumped ship to defend perpetrators and liars because of the past they had( Being close like Kin as in blood ties) some just fancied them because they were wearing a badge, not really knowing them for who they really were masking inside. “I was too real to honest and too raw for those living a lie, because me choosing the heal as a victim would reveal to them the very things they ran from or hid from the world or perhaps either did in secret themselves .” Even the term “ I am my brothers keeper” shed light to a sworn secrecy of covering the acts of incest and molestation while scrutinizing the true victims that suffered because they feared saying something.Though Fear consumed me like a pit of darkness once upon a time, she became like a friend who saw trouble coming and redirected me at times as my supporter and protector to evade harm right at the knick of time.
    Maybe it was just my strong intuition and the dreams that made me react quicker. These are the things one would deem as obstacles and became like weight packs in training that I began shouldering through in a jungle filled with a hazing fume. Fear isn’t all the way as bad as she was made to look, more like a sergeant who taught you how to withstand pain while wading in the swamps as a trait for tactical awareness in the midst of breathing through a panic attack. “The fear helped me to seek faith , which ultimately led me to the light and became my saving grace while i cocooned myself at home creating art about my past lives and untapped findings of self discover. Even creating some of the best written works of writing about my supernatural experiences that brought me to life as i was forced to really go within regardless of it being clear the outside world was crashing with fire and caving in ”.

    It all depends on how you look at it, overcoming the shadow side of fear is me writing about my harbored struggles of having Complex PTSD – Something that accumulated due to the repetitive abuse of covert antagonism from the over bearing figures that were staggered and stationed in my life. As well as the psychological torture I endured from manipulative authoritative figures as we strategized a swirl of a quiet war with divination abusers who celebrated at performing a wicked game of psychosis tampering into the dark arts. “There is so much more I could express but it would turn this writing into a broader length of an added 4 page letter of why Fear became my crutch, thus morphing in a beautiful flower shaped like a bleeding heart”. Me and her both know as weve grown together its getting close for us to depart, it feels so freeing being able to finally talk about these burdens that once held me captive afraid to admit my scars. I’ve become like an Orca whale on the roam with her child , ready to be unleashed into uncharted waters, leaving everything she once knew behind… “ Her Fear turned into her Truth, as her eyes looked up and guided her into the blue following the stars from afar.”

    Ashley Suttle

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    • Ashley, you’ve experienced things that no one should and dealt with people who didn’t deserve your presence in their lives. I hate that you’ve been followed by shadow people throughout your life, but I am glad that you’ve found an outlet in your writing. As you continue to find your truth, I wish you all the happiness. Thank you for sharing your…read more

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      • Thank you! I’m so glad I was lead to the unsealed. Had I not been blessed with this platform and opportunity I would have never delve as deeply within to express myself, and probably never would have turned back to writing. I realize it’s apart of my purpose to communicate in this way as well as be a witness to such things, it gave me strength…read more

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  • Worse things to be than ugly

    I can remember the feeling clearly. I can still taste it, I can still feel the weight of it dragging on my heels, filling my lungs, and chilling my bones.
    I am grateful I made it out alive, because looking back I can see that I needed serious help, but help was not coming for me.
    I lived with severe depression, suicide ideation, low self esteem, and a handful of other BPD/BP symptoms that went undiagnosed for years.
    I was never introduced to the idea of coping skills, boundaries, self care, and I had never heard of things like self fulfilling prophecies, victim mindsets, and justification/avoidance/etc. I wish someone would have brought these things to life, because I think I may have realized sooner that I wasn’t alone or the one to blame for the awful sadness that clawed at my chest like some tortured animal.
    I began self-harming as a form of punishing myself. I believed that I was selfish for even breathing. I hated myself so much that I truly, truly believed that I deserved to get hurt and I should feel guilty because if I loved my family then I wouldn’t poison their life by being present in it.
    Often I would fall asleep in tears, praying to wake up as someone else or to not wake up at all.
    It breaks my heart sometimes when I look back. As a child, I just wanted to be loved and important, and as a teen, I just wanted to be loved and beautiful.
    I wanted to be beautiful more than anything.
    To me, beauty was something unattainable and far away.
    I really was an ugly duckling , so to speak. I don’t believe there are more than 3 photos of me from the time I was in 2nd grade to about 5th.
    The summer before 2nd grade my babysitter decided to shave my hair off. On top of being malnourished and having extreme dental issues, having no hair was enough to push me to become a social outcast.
    Those little kids treated me like I wasn’t even human.
    But every day I woke up just hoping to have a good day. I could forgive my worst enemies without blinking. Every day I just wanted to have a good day.
    But I started fighting a lot, partly because the other kids thought I was a boy and partly because I wouldn’t tolerate being bullied any longer. After some months went by, even the adults at school and around public spaces were confused about my gender, and a few had even asked me to stop saying I was a girl.
    I felt betrayed and confused. I learned during that time that I could hurt people back if they insulted me, and that love is conditional to beauty.
    I moved away after 7th grade for 2 years but was forced to move right back.
    They acted like I was a completely different person.
    Now people suddenly expected me to be female?
    I couldn’t hang out with the guys anymore, and if I did they were trying to throw game at me? I couldn’t wear whatever I wanted anymore because people couldn’t control themselves? I’m supposed to do my hair and makeup and wear dresses and walk in heels now?
    Deep down I yearned to be in touch with that femininity that had been denied to be so long ago, but it was hard.
    I tried to be grateful, because I knew some people’s journey required surgery and years of hormone therapy. To be told your something that you know your not and trying to play pretend as something else causes a pain I can’t describe, so even though I was secretly relieved I wasn’t sure how to just “be a girl.”
    I obsessed over my appearance, I would often stare at my reflection until tears welled in my eyes and whisper to myself these horrible things like, “you’re so freakin ugly. No wonder your mother drinks all the time. No wonder everyone hates you. Your so freaking stupid look at you. I wish so much that I could just beat you up, I hate you so much.”
    … It was just one vicious cycle after another.

    There are a lot of factors that led to my escape from the prison of that perspective.
    But the main one I want to share happened on my own.
    Its strange, because now I am considered “hot.” Sometimes I even feel beautiful, but not a whole lot. That’s okay with me, though. I wish that the younger me could feel even the small approvals I give myself, even the smallest kindnesses… But it wasnt until the day I came to this conclusion that any of my self esteem started to change.
    I realized… There are worse things to be than ugly.
    It may sound ridiculous or even obnoxiously obvious… But this thought had never actually occured to me before.b
    There are better things to be than pretty. There are worse things to be than ugly.
    I mean, id been through some of them. Being lost in the woods, feeling heartbroken, searching for a missing person that you care deeply about, losing a parent to prison, and being miserable were just a few of the things that I went through personally that I decided in that moment were much worse than being ugly.
    This was a breakthrough.
    I don’t NEED to be pretty. Sure I want to but do I NEED to be?
    Hell no.
    I was tired of chasing people’s love, tired of wasting so much energy on their approval. I was just plain tired.
    I realized that people couldn’t see right through me. They couldn’t see the damage beneath the surface.
    The day I stopped caring if I was ugly or beautiful changed my life. Because that’s the day I started caring about if my life was beautiful or not. I started caring about what I was doing and not about if others cared.
    This led me to getting some painful dental surgeries that ended with dentures and a normal smile, some crazy tattoos, and a few hair color choices I could have left in the bottle but mostly it led me to freedom.
    I don’t know if my story is unique or if anyone else out there is trapped by the beauty myth… But just in case I’ll say it again:
    Beauty does not define value.
    Others do not define your beauty.
    Your value is yours to see and appreciate. You set the bar for how you will be treated and respected.
    Beauty does not define importance, power, or entitlement.
    Beauty is not just appearance.
    Love yourself, you will see the change in your reflection yourself.
    You are beautiful, you are worthy, and you are human.
    There are so many worse things to be than ugly.
    -a horrible person
    -attacked by wolves
    -evil and cruel
    -dying
    -mean
    -lost
    -sad
    -going through the motions
    -uncaring, inconsiderate
    -starving
    Etc. Etc. etc.

    Cheyenne

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    • Cheyenne I just want you to know that you are understood and heard. You have grown into a beautiful flower and even flowers sprout under dirt and the mudslides. I liked your ending where you said there are so many more worse things to be than ugly because there are people who have ugly mentalities, spirits, and energy. You are beautiful from the…read more

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  • Arachnophobia

    Arachnophobia
    Dear… spiders.
    I know I see with more than two eyes
    I know I move so fast
    It may appear I have 8 arms and legs.
    I know I creep quietly through the night
    Through these halls,
    Through my life.
    But I am not like you, I am no spider.
    I may appear so similar,
    Until the clutter trips me.
    And you approach,
    Find me tangled in threads of silk so thin,
    But they won’t break.
    What wicked webs I have woven,
    Metaphorically wrapping around my neck-
    Literally-wrapping around my neck.
    Strangling
    Restraining
    Emotionally draining me
    How funny I must look!
    A spider, clumsily fumbling…
    Where it’s food is meant to stumble…
    Panicking,
    Twist
    ing,
    Hopelessly
    Tightening…
    Maybe you offer advice,
    Maybe you’ve come to mock,
    Maybe you’ve just come to see what others do not,
    You see me struggling, fighting for my life,
    You see the thread I’m hanging by-
    The one holding me together- wearing thin.
    BUT…
    I do not see you, little spider.
    I am merely trying to take a shower, make my breakfast, sit for a moment.
    I do not see you at all.
    I wonder,
    I w- OH MY F*CKING G*D WAS THAT A F*CKING SPIDER?? KILL IT!! JEEZ OH MY LORD F*CKING KILL IT! IS IT ON ME STILL? WHAT?! WH…WHO GIVES A F*CK ABOUT THE LETTER I WAS WRITING- F*CKING KILL IT! GET IT OFF!
    OH MY GOD,
    GET IT OFF ME! WHERE IS IT? WHERE…? I’M F*CKING CALM-JUST GET IT OFF! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE,
    OH MY GOD…. PLEASE… OH…
    WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS H…
    PLEASE, OH MY GOD…
    Yeah, just…
    JUST GET IT OFF ME.
    Please, I just…
    I’m sorry, I’m just scared of spi…
    sp..sp..
    Spiders.
    Are you sure?
    Are you sure?
    Are you sure…?
    It’s not on me still? It’s gone? But did you look really close? Will you just check…
    can you…are you s…
    Sorry.
    You’re sure…?
    I’m sorry. Thank you. I’m so sorry.
    Thank you…
    Anyway, I… I’m sorry.
    I um…
    I wonder
    I wonder what you um…where you are and um…
    Where was I?
    Stuck in a web of lies,
    Tangled in webs,
    Feeling like the prey is the spider or…
    No, no, no.
    No…No. Um…
    No.
    Well.
    I’ll just have to do this another time.
    Or I can finish it now but…
    I’ll have to think of something different ‘cause
    I’ve lost my train of thought.
    Yes! That’s it…
    I’ll just have to talk to themabout it anothertime I’m sure spiders are quite busy I meanthey have such a longway to walk beingsosmall andall I don’tevenknow howlong it takestomake a web butprobably a while and I know they’re moreafraidofme than I am ofthem I knowthatofcourse I knowI’m so muchbiggerand faster Ishouldn’tbe soupset if theyoccupy sucha tinycorner I don’teven go overthere mostofthetime they’re notbothering anyone overthere they just survive off flies I don’tevenlike flies they’re gross and I just smashthem anyways so whoamI tosay theycantbethere I don’tevenpayrent so I don’treally haveanysay overwhat orwho canorcan’tcomein plus itssocoldoutside so whatever it’s reallynotabigdeal thatthey’rearounandstuff I’lljust try to avoid…
    Avoid…them.
    Wherever they are.
    Anyway… I do enjoy our little chats,
    Dear spider.
    Friend.
    But I must be off
    I have a thing, you know
    A web.
    A web to weave.

    77%

    Cheyenne Jamerson (Sage the Syren)

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    • Hey Cheyenne! Don’t forget to include your style score to qualify for bonus prizes. The instructions are in the rules.

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    • Cheyenne, this poem is perfection! I am also scared of spiders, though I don’t realize the fear is there until I see one. When I was pregnant with my twins, I had a nightmare in which I was surrounded by spiders weaving their webs. I woke up, heart pounding, to feel sticky webs all over my face and neck. That was the point at which I started to…read more

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  • Noirerequiem shared a letter in the Group logo of Mental HealthMental Health group 6 months ago

    The Duality of A Black Woman

    I was strong… Loneliness so deep, like the sea.
    I was strong—I didn’t need nobody.
    I was so strong, I needed everybody.
    I was strong enough to pass as Happy-Go-Lucky,
    Even when the cracks showed under the weight.

    But strength, they say, isn’t always a gift.
    Being “The Strong Black Woman”—what a cruel myth.
    A title dressed in resilience but laced with chains,
    Hiding the truth of my heart’s quiet pains.

    I was strong, even when they looked past me,
    Strong, even when disregard was all they’d see.
    Strong enough to hold the world,
    Yet too strong to be held myself.

    They called me strong like it was praise,
    But strength became my cage in so many ways.
    No room for tears, no space for need,
    Just a shell of power, a soul to bleed.

    But what of my vulnerability?
    Why is softness seen as fragility?
    I’ve learned that strength isn’t just standing tall,
    It’s also knowing when to let yourself fall.

    I am both—strong and tender, bold and unsure,
    A mixture of fire and water, pain and cure.
    I am whole, not in spite of my duality,
    But because I embrace all that makes me me.

    So don’t call me strong if it means I must break.
    See me as human, for my own sake.
    Strength isn’t a shield; it’s a choice to be free,
    To honor both the strength and softness in me.

    AmbitiousBMarie

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    • I admire your connection you make in poems with your body and nature! We are forms of nature whether it is our emotions or just our wellbeing. “A title dressed in resilience but laced with chains” super powerful because as black women the society implements that our emotions are being “angry” but we are voicing our opinions that we could not onc…read more

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  • Alexis shared a letter in the Group logo of Mental HealthMental Health group 6 months ago

    Courage To Move On

    The ghost of “us” still lingers, a haunting refrain,
    A melody of memories, a bittersweet pain.
    I grieved for the future we’d never attain,
    Two souls entwined, then severed in twain.

    We’re like two planes in the sky, headed in two different directions,
    A near hit or miss, a fleeting connection.
    I gave it all I had before I ever decided to quit.
    Deep within the depths of my heart, you’re someone I’ll always miss.

    But the weight of “what ifs” began to erode,
    A heavy cloak of sorrow, a lonely road.
    I knew I deserved better, a love that would unfold,
    A story where my spirit wouldn’t grow cold.

    So I broke the chains, shattered the illusion,
    Found the strength within, a silent revolution.
    Each step forward, a victory, a new constitution,
    Rebuilding myself, a slow, steady evolution.

    The sting of regret still lingers, a phantom limb,
    But I’m learning to breathe, to finally swim.
    In the ocean of life, I’m no longer adrift,
    I’ve found the courage to rise, to finally shift.

    Truth be told, we’re better off apart,
    But our connection is one that genuinely touched my heart.

    Alexis Harvey

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    • This is such an empowering letter for those who are struggling to walk away from any situation that no longer serves them. It is tough especially if it’s a loved one or something we love. Thank you for sharing such a powerful letter encouraging others to gain courage to move on and stand up for themselves.

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      • Thanks Cierra ☺️ Your kind words are appreciated 💕 It is tough, but the only way out is through! Goodbyes are never easy, but sometimes they’re necessary.

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  • Tracie Sperling shared a letter in the Group logo of Mental HealthMental Health group 6 months, 1 weeks ago

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    Overcoming Fear

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  • Thank You ;

    Hey you ;
    Thank you ;
    Thank you for being here ;
    Thank you for creating Truth that keeps the noose loose as you choose to continue through the fears ;
    Thank you for trying your best even when it seems like every seam that holds yourself together has been Severed and ripped to shreds ;
    Thank you for trying your best even when it seems like everything you’re thinking is like a hoarders dream, thoughts of a convoluted mess ;
    Thank you for trying your best even when things that are in and out of your control seem to spin out of control, and you try to hold on to the right when it seems like there’s nothing left ;
    Thank you for staying alive, even though every day seems like a daily struggle just to survive ;
    Thank you for choosing to resume these pages of life, even when you’re burnt up and exhausted and no longer want to write ;
    Thank you for being here ;
    Thank you for being you ;
    Sincerely true ;
    From me to you ;
    Thank you ;
    ;

    Afton

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    • Thank YOU for sharing your peace! I felt this in my heart. I am so glad I came across your letter as I was having a tough day today! I feel we don’t thank ourselves for pulling ourselves out of tribulations that occurs in our life and for continuing to push forward to our own finish line of whatever accomplishment we are trying to meet in the…read more

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      • You are most welcome Cierra ❤ and thank you for your kind words! I’m glad that this was able to bring a bit of light to your day, and your message has also done the same for me! 🙂
        – Afton

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  • Ivory Trent shared a letter in the Group logo of Mental HealthMental Health group 6 months, 2 weeks ago

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    Depression Has Many Forms

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  • sciifly shared a letter in the Group logo of Mental HealthMental Health group 6 months, 3 weeks ago

    Spring, Not Sprung

    Spring, not sprung.

    People can look like they’re fine, but inside they’re crying.
    Many are trying, too many dying, I’m flying on some parachute of prayers.
    To the God’s who will listen. To the points of the cardinal directions.
    I look up and no longer see Orion who has always been my protector.

    My hands fall short of magic. My generosity exceeds in deeds, grateful to bless, but somehow not enough to me. I know life is unalome, never even keel- my path made me stronger, wounds have healed.
    Although the deeper I dive, the pain becomes real. I deal. I’ve observed on every level, inhaled, exhaled and weighed it on the scales. It tips. Balance is off-
    When the whole world is upside down and right side up, I still live in my bubble. When I’m lost, I retreat. No white flag, no olive branch, no phone calls, just me- in the corner with a pen and paper, crying. For everyone I’ve lost, for everyone I’ve ever loved and had to walk away from, for everyone who bears the weight on their shoulders but wakes up and smiles at the world, I am you.

    Spring, but not sprung.

    Let me feel the rain on my face as I know it waters the flowers that blossom in the spring.

    I miss my family and friends who are in another realm. Let their energy protect mine. Allow me to shine like gold in a river on sunny day.

    I need my magic or I am useless.

    To the God’s~ Please protect us.

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    • Thank you so much for sharing your poems and letters. I enjoy reading them. I really love adventuring your adoration to nature and how you compare yourself and the human emotions to nature. I always say Mother Nature never judges she keeps going and has several outlets to release her emotions. That is the same for us we have several creative…read more

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  • Darnel LaFrance shared a letter in the Group logo of Mental HealthMental Health group 6 months, 3 weeks ago

    the divine reprimand

    the clockmaker’s bride

    they can’t go where i go,
    they can’t see what i see,
    they don’t know what i know,
    that can’t be what i be//i believe i’ve been living for myself- i have been living for life.

    knowledge that belongs to you will find you.
    what’s yours will come to you.
    the focus on the future blinds you from the opportunities you are surrounded with today.
    you would not be in this space if you weren’t wanted.

    so why do i feel like you’re trying to prove yourself? your worth?
    what is there to earn//i have nothing to give
    are you entitled to the approval of others//are you too ashamed of your experiences to approve of yourself?

    is it your experiences that make you, you?
    is it your beliefs that makes you, you?
    is it your actions that makes you, you?
    what is there in the world that you claim as the creation of others//i claim that which i create
    i don’t know.
    i have no clue to be entirely honest.
    consider this: am i what you decide to call me, or am i what i say i am because i’ve decided to be?

    in one way or another, existence supposes definition,
    you are something to someone, even if that someone is the ground you walk on. the plant life you trample over with the careless entitlement to destroy.
    are you going to allow yourself to be defined?

    frankenstein’s monster. he does not have a name because his creator never gave him one. although he could decide to name himself and shape his own identity, he could never cut the ties that bind to his father. the bond is why you seek approval. the bond is why apathy is worse than disapproval; those who are not acknowledged are the ones that destroy. you need to be responsible for everything you create, whether it be art, technology, literature, or life.

    never give your creations to the world to be defined by the world,
    they will never deserve what you are.
    in approval or disapproval, acknowledge what you’ve done.
    thank accountability for it,
    take ownership of it,
    the way every influence in your life have taken ownership of you,
    how they’ve taken care of you,
    how they’ve hurt you,
    remember how you felt,
    remember the feeling,
    some people have nothing to feel,
    i implore you to be intentional in your interactions with others//be intentional about how you make them feel,
    how you make yourself feel.
    you may be the reason someone in this world is lonely,
    remember how you’ve felt in the deepest chasm of your limitless,
    to whom/what you wanted to take ownership of it,
    your friends, your parents, your lover, yourself, your gods?
    now think of who you are to others, a friend known for being reliable, a child known for being grateful, a lover known for making someone feel whole, a creation grateful for who’s grateful for being created?
    privileged.
    who are you to abandon what you’ve created.

    “i know all about the pain that you go through” – Gustav Ahr

    xokirei

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    • Wow this letter is very powerful. I gained so much insight and inspiration reading this piece. At the beginning when you were asking about what are the things that make you, you. I read that over twice making me think deeply into those questions. You really challenge the reader to dive deeper into themselves to find the spark of inspiration of…read more

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  • everything andnothing shared a letter in the Group logo of Mental HealthMental Health group 7 months ago

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    Fractured

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  • everything andnothing shared a letter in the Group logo of Mental HealthMental Health group 7 months ago

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    Sand and Glass

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  • Joy Lowary shared a letter in the Group logo of Mental HealthMental Health group 7 months ago

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    A BIG THANK YOU TO BTS!

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  • Darnel LaFrance shared a letter in the Group logo of Mental HealthMental Health group 7 months, 2 weeks ago

    smile

    the day you begin at your lowest is the day they need you to smile,
    to “look like you want to be here,” to put on the mask,
    so you don’t ruin his day, so you don’t make her uneasy.
    honesty is selfish, so you force the grin,
    the dam holding back grief as it threatens to flood,
    an apology for daring to express a neurotic emotion,

    intrusive thoughts rush through cracks,
    the fracture in understanding reality where you don’t know how to accept what’s true,
    having faith in the dark of your closed eyes that you will see light when you open them again,
    these truths that shape your identity and guide your actions,
    an inundation that leaves you horrified by what belongs to you,
    until you fortify for mind with a pill
    as i slip into comfortable delusion, breathe shallow,
    my medicine tastes like lobotomy.

    the hollow platitudes of condolences that feel obligated to speak by the collective obligation to speak,
    “hope you feel better”
    “you sound crazy.”
    pressing at the seams of your fragile control.
    it thrives on this quiet, this forced calm,
    i’m impatient.

    makes you wonder where the clear water went,
    if it was ever there at all,
    makes you feel like you had it coming during the day you’re at your lowest,
    when you’re meant to lead a presentation for your boss- pace your self and inhale deep so they can’t hear tremble in your voice,
    when you’re meant to join your family for dinner- running through multiple choice scenarios in an attosecond to formulate the intricate lie you’ll tell your mother in lieu of causing her worry,
    when you have no thoughts to share as tour body puppeteers your actions to fulfill your daily routine,
    somewhere deep within no matter how hidden,
    a forcefully forgotten memory of trauma is randomly triggered and you lose control, embarrassing yourself by letting see the face behind the mask,
    the pain behind the smile,
    makes you feel like you deserve to hurt*** yourself

    darnel

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    • You deserve nothing but joy and happiness. And you never have to pretend. Always lean into spaces that make it feel safe to express your true self. You are so wonderful and you deserve nothing but joy in life. If you ever need help, 988 is a free crisis line. Sending you hugs. You are wonderful. <3 Lauren

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