Getting A Little Personal…Life Update

Some of you may have noticed that my posts became a bit sporadic this past month. I touched on the reason why in my last post, but I wanted to elaborate a bit more today. So this is me getting a little personal with all of you and offering a glimpse into my Real Life these past few weeks.

In my re-introduction post earlier this year, I revealed my struggle with my depression and anxiety, a struggle that has been with me since high school (which, if we’re all doing the math here, was more than a decade ago). Now, I’ll admit, I’ve never been officially diagnosed by a doctor. However, I am familiar with the signs and symptoms from my years of majoring in Psychology in college, and I had regular sessions with a campus counselor when things got really bad for me during my college years. 

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[Writer’s Quote Wednesday] Rupi Kaur

i want to apologize to all the women
i have called pretty.
before i’ve called them intelligent or brave.
i am sorry i made it sound as though
something as simple as what you’re born with
is the most you have to be proud of
when your spirit has crushed mountains
from now on i will say things like, you are resilient
or, you are extraordinary.
not because i don’t think you’re pretty.
but because you are so much more than that

— Rupi Kaur —

Originally, I had wanted to post this for International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8 every year, but it’s been a rough couple of weeks for me in my Real Life. Anyway, better late than never is what I like to say!

When I think of modern poets whose poetry embodies feminism and girl-power, the first name that comes to mind is Rupi Kaur. I’ll be honest, I don’t love all her poetry; as a matter of fact, most of her writing feels incomplete to me, like they’re excerpts from journal entries or novels. However, I do not deny the power of her voice or the raw emotion she does evoke in her writing. Nobody writes quite like Rupi Kaur, and this poem is probably my favorite of hers. 

To all my fellow women out there, remember that you are so much more than just pretty. 

 

[Flash Fiction] Safe House

I heard the roar of his motorcycle before I saw him, quieting to a murmur as he parked beside the shed. I knew he would use the overrun bushes nearby to hide his bike and I heard the crinkle of the leaves as he walked to the door. Five steps separated his bike from the door and I counted them in my head.

Five…four…three…two…and then he was standing there in the doorway, with his windswept hair, leather jacket and arms that felt like a safe house from the world. One day, we won’t have to hide.

© Jade M. Wong

[Writer’s Quote Wednesday] Spring

Life is unpredictable,
It changes with the seasons,
Even your coldest winter
Happens for the best of reasons,
And though it feels eternal,
Like all you’ll ever do is freeze, 
I promise spring is coming,
And with it, brand new leaves.

— Erin Hanson —

[Poetry] Coming Home

In the dark, I followed the stars,
Twinkling steadily and kindly,
Lighting the path to a place so far,
To a place waiting patiently for me.

Twinkling steadily and kindly,
The stars guide me as I make my way
To a place waiting patiently for me,
I know I am meant to arrive one day.

[Poetry] Victim

The first time I saw her
I knew I would hand her
My heart on a silver platter.

The first time she saw him
She gave everything to him
And my heart became the victim.

© Jade M. Wong

[Writer’s Quote Wednesday] The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

“It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo.
The ones that really mattered.
Full of darkness and danger they were,
and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end.
Because how could the end be happy.
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened.
But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow.
Even darkness must pass.
A new day will come.
And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you.
That meant something.
Even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand.
I know now.
Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t.
Because they were holding on to something…

That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.”

— Screenwriters: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, & Peter Jackson; Based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien —

[Poetry] Special Someone

Dark curls, gray eyes
Always honest, never lies
Crisp jeans, cotton shirts
A gentle touch that never hurts
Sharp mind, cautious heart
A love he’ll never tear apart.

© Jade M. Wong

[Writer’s Quote Wednesday] Dreams

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

— Langston Hughes —

[Poetry] Thorns & Love

His words wielded spiny thorns
Out of spite and hatred they were born.
They failed against these words of mine
For love trumps hate every time.

© Jade M. Wong