fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
The Connection, Reflection and Injection
Tags: Helpful Tips, Humanity, Life Lessons, Feelings, Connection

EVERY OCCASION, EVERY MOMENT, is held by a string. Puppets to our own soul. Who’s the ventriloquist on this quest? We won’t know. Only the rationalists will know the true walkway to maneuvering a connection with an outsider. One way streets only go right if you think about it. This, what is “this”?, it’s a stimulant. A high. That evaporates like the words that roll off their tongue. An expression of reaction, scorched with the power of doubt, sorrow and turmoil.

That’s the preface.

We are built like a place of worship, if only our minds could produce the gilt and glamor of our external presence. How do we break down a new relation when our own ego is only a foundation, not having a metaphorical roof will lead to a lost gap inside the stage you are perceiving. If we only could illustrate the code to soul, love and simplicity, I think we would have a better insight on what it means to be human. A connection must not be taken for granted, it must always turn into a helpful word to better the mind. Sort out the beneficial views and run to the sun with them. Cherish it with no weight on your shoulders. Petals only fall when things need to regrow. Remember that. A connection is a new wave of aiding a soul to their highest potential regardless of the outcome.

What does a mirror do? It gives back. Find the mirror inside your heart and character. Treat the reflection of a yourself like the stars in the sky. Go to a place of contentment, not with a figure, by with just yourself. Invest in knowing who you are, inside and out. It’ll help the rebirth of hidden gems that we all struggle to locate. Paint, create something, enrich the knowledge of not only who you are, but who we are as people. Seek friendship, fall heir to something that gives you direction. Spill your feelings on a blank canvas, drive to the edge of the earth and watch the waves crash up against you. Accept that it’s all going to become clear, but the timeframe on when, is based on you. This could be a letter written to myself, in third person of course. Maybe it is, or maybe it’s for the people that need to hear this. Drafted in script.

A symbolic meaning to the feeling of being absorbed in thought. Injection, from a needle that you share meals with, talk to, and laugh with. What if I’m not describing another person? What if that needle is just yourself? Dread, and worry coursing through your veins because of the lost thoughts of these cold sweats. Everyone you meet doesn’t have to end in a loss for self-confidence. It should add to the foundation blocks of making you better. Ego trips are healthy if you know how to govern them. Take time. Grow. Water yourself. Laugh, cry, we don’t have much time here. Make the best of it for you, not for anyone else. Try new things. Learn, dive into a world that is unknown. You might strike gold for the soul. We can hope.

These three words of affirmation are the sharp truth in searching for yourself.

DW
A Poem like thing.
By: Gayumi Wijewardana
Tags: Life, Poem, Feelings, Poetry, Love

I’m just a human

My eyes just watch the world,

Go around,

for I am,

A normal but a bit weird one

invisible,

rotting,

And unloved.

But still,

Even though death is the end,

I watch you,

And you just don’t see me.
Can A Person Feel Rejected Before They Are Born?
Tags: Rejectedandforsaken, Rejected, Feeling

Do You Feel Rejected

If one was to strike up a conversation with someone to who they are attracted, they may end up being rejected by them. Now, one way of looking at this would be to say that this person didn’t reject them, they just rejected the version of them that showed up and there can be several reasons as to why this happened.



But, with this aside, one can end up experiencing a far amount of pain and this experience could stay with them for quite some time. The next time they see someone who they like, they might not take the next step and they could be this way for a little while.

Rejected Another Experience

Now, not only can someone feel rejected from time to time, but they can also feel this way practically all of the time. However, if feeling this way is the norm, they can do their best to keep this feeling at bay.



As a result, this feeling can generally be just outside of their conscious awareness but it will still define their life. This can mean that it will be a challenge for them to express themselves and to just be.

One Focus of Feeling Rejected

The reason for this is that they will do what they can to tune into other people’s needs and to please them. This will decrease their chances of being rejected by others, yet it will also make it hard for them to express their true-self.



They could also spend a fair amount of time worrying about what other people think and say about them. It could often be seen as being only a matter of time before the people
Lavender
By: Kenzie Kuhn
Tags: Thoughts, Poem, Feelings, Haiku, Poetry

Wear me on your wrist

like I am your lavender

to soothe your storm heart
Mind of a depressed person.
Tags: Feelings, Emotions, Mental Health

You ever wanted to truly enter the mind of someone depressed? Many people want to know not out of blaming but curiosity to actually understand what depression feel like or if it is just sadness we all have used as an excuse looking for sympathy. Well I am about to bring you on this journey you will enter the mind of what depression feel like I will put you in the mind of what you would feel like if you ever wanted to know the experience. When I say you I will be referring to the reader using you as a point of my explanation.

An example

An example you may be at your job or school doing your work. On the outside you are able to maintain a false happy image with acting happy always helping with sincere heart. Everyone might be around doing their own things still around you while you type or do your work. Inside you feel dead you wish you could have the joy of everyone around you. You want to break down and let everything out but you can’t remember people would be scared and judge so you put your happy face on as you don’t want to burden or scare anyone. You feel so much anger and hatred towards yourself as you cannot seem to understand why can you not be like everyone. I mean you may have all your accomplishments, looks, money and friends but that do not mean nothing. People around you may love you even that cant fulfil you and let the depression go. The mind is at war every time even when there are people in the room you feel alone almost in a jail cell. Your colleagues or friends may support and say join in on the fun however you may have to carry on with your work and they understand. What do you do you act like everything is fine and tell them have fun? They look at you as a chilled guy or girl who lives a happy life but little do they no waking up in the morning and going to sleep death or suicide is contemplated. You may turn into drugs or anything which you obsessively do to snatch your mind away from as little as you can.

Other side

The scary thing out of all is depression help, religion and anything else may not help at a particular time. This is why it’s different from sadness. What is dangerous is the longer you live with depression the longer you know how to maintain it. When I say maintain its almost as if you are in a burning house everything around you is burning you get so comfortable to the heat and the smell of burnt items becomes home. Even if the house is going to eventually burn down and kill you too you are fine with that because it’s all you know at this point that you are okay even if you don’t want it to end this way.

Message

For all the depression fighters who still fight with depression you are strong to get up in the morning and still live life. Last lesson always treat people well showing them love because you do not know what effect you can have on their life pertaining to the inner battle they have every single day.
Fervor
By: A Love Supreme
Tags: Intensity, Feelings, Passion, Fervor, A Love Supreme

Fervor

Better your condition and yourself

Stand up straight and speak with bass

Hints of compassion and heavy dabs of warlike determination.

You have to be angry.

Frustrated as hell

And be tired of getting artificially castrated by the holds and bonds of all that you think of yourself and what others think of you.

Or what you think and feel you’re capable us

This is a prison

Look at the balance in your bank account

Or the job that you have (If this is not fulfilling to you)

The friends you hold near

And look at everything you hear

Stretch it out and lay it bare

Strip them of their visual casing

LOOK but not with eyes

FEEL not with hands

THINK but not with your head

FEEL

ASSESS

EXPERIENCE

CONFRONT

And ALL

With FERVOR

Intense passion. Fiery passion

Change your mind.

And your life

Get mad as hell and attack your life with fervor

Do the thing

Have the Stuffs

And do NOT Acquiesce

Even to your own

Idiosyncrasies

~ A Love Supreme
The Feelings That Wander
By: Hayley Bolan
Tags: Emotions, Feelings, Mental Illness, Mindset, Mental Health

The Feelings That Wander

Just a short poem

My mind cluttered with all these feelings.

What am I truly feeling?

Will it pass?

I don’t know

We will see.

Happiness, sadness, anger

Love, lust, depression

Joy, uncertainty, confusion.

Feelings, emotions, flowing all over the place.

Do they have a place to hide?

Oh, yeah, “safe” inside my mind!

This poem is about mental health and how detrimental it can be not dealing with these feelings. Do the work, sort them out!

Hayley Bolan, 12/2020. All rights reserved.
Hope.
By: Pooja Hariharan
Tags: Life, Feelings, Hope, New Year, Poetry

Picture by @jonathanborba on unsplash

I’m in love with this feeling.

Something I haven’t felt in a while.

A cause for celebration, or impending doom?

There is something so captivating,

when you don’t know what comes next.

Such is the game of life.

To have hope; to look forward to a better tomorrow,

is to be human.

Funny how, looking back, we wouldn’t change a thing,

yet, all we do is prepare for our future.

I’m in love with this feeling of hope.

The uncertainty, the madness brings me joy.

My life isn’t perfect, but I have hope,

that someday,

looking back,

I would never change a thing.

Cheers to us for powering through.

Here’s to us hoping for a better 2021!
[Untitled]
By: Maria Steffany C
Tags: Memory, Feelings, Poem, Poetry On Medium

a peculiar soul who loves to write and passionate about carving her own world
(not) a Curse
By: Maria Steffany C
Tags: Life, Poem, Feelings, Hope, Poetry On Medium

what’s ahead may seemed to be fade

what’s around may be too hard for thee to take

but life is not a curse

once you stopped asking “what could be worse”
Proposal
Tags: Feelings, Proposal, Fantasy

When I glanced at you for the first time my mind seized to work and I could not resist another glance. It generally doesn’t happen to me as I am strong to resist flings but this time it was different. How much different it was hard to quantify. Another glance and I went off the track and regret that till today. It has made me jittery and gives me sleepless nights. Whenever I am on 4th floor eyes just search for you in all the directions. Your images play frame by frame in my mind. It’s hard to ignore your simplicity and beauty. Most of the time you don’t wear any makeup. You are so simple that at times you don’t even wax your hands. Simple yet so beautiful. Be it the glimmer of your studs partially obstructed by your hairs or the swaying of your rings in ears, you need nothing. These ornaments/jewellery are not at all comparable with your natural beauty. Your baby smooth and spotless skin and how can I forget your perfectly sized and thinly outlined lips and not sure about that shade of red color. Everything was just perfect. The way you speak, hand movements, all other gestures, oozing out of the confidence and that killer attitude can give complex to anyone around. The way you walk using the aisle between chairs as a ramp brings a storm in my mind.

The more I look at you the more you feel pretty and really difficult to move away from charm, everything around just fades away. And you know this effect is caused by a glance of just 5secs duration. I can turn my head away but how do I deviate my mind from your thoughts. How can I stop noticing your presence? I can go on describing your beauty but I know there is much more beyond this physical parlance. I can like somebody but to love somebody I need to like the thought process of that person. I want to spend some time with you. Sitting across to you, listening to your thoughts, trying to sneak in your heart through your eyes, getting to know its internal state, feeling your presence where minutes feel like seconds. When there is a purity in thoughts. When there are no checks and balances required to be put upon. When my pupil dilates, when other sensory inputs will be ignored, when our heart beats in unison. When our thought process resonates. That is the moment I cherish.
Small Town
By: Kenzie Kuhn
Tags: Thoughts, Poem, Feelings, Musings, Poetry

Smoky mind, mid July

Dirty converse over rusty tracks

short thoughts, long walks

around this dog-eared wasteland

Familiar sounds of the town

echo in this volcanic heart

Misty haze above the lake

Where souls go to rot
You deserve better !
By: Avany
Tags: Feelings, Boyfriend, Feels, Girlfriend, Broken

You deserve better !

Dont we hear this phrase too often ?

I am serious about it this time!

You are a beautiful man with the purest soul ! You live to the fullest but am I stopping you ?

Sounds weird yeh? Day by day, it seems. like you feel suffocating! Not because of anything but the excess amount of love i give, the possessiveness, the fear i have of losing you , the unconditional care! Are these things becoming a burden on you? I can see you drowning, in your own thoughts and blaming yourself!

I dont want to bound you within me,

I want you to explore, to love others, to make other bonds ! You are bounded within me as if i am stopping you to discover yourself!

This is not love !? Or is it ?

I want you to love me , not at any cost but simply without any selfishness or boundaries!

Years from now , sitting at your couch holding your favorite coffee, would you blame me for your insecurities? Would you wonder YOU DESERVED BETTER ? That i have hurt you , maybe unintentionally but i did!? Isn’t it tough for you now to move on and blame me ?

Isnt love the purest thing and everyone deserves the best they can have?

My insecurities, my pain, my feelings, my heart, my problems ! No you don’t deserve to deal with them, yeah you deserve to be loved and pampered too!

. AD
Fuchsia Sweater
By: Maria Steffany C
Tags: Poem, Feelings, Grief, Mother, Poetry On Medium

hug my own arms — it’s therapeutic

elbow, hand, merged to knee

curl myself below the knitted fabric

no reasons but drifted agony

tormented in a fuchsia sweater

her last memory of breathing

a soul, a flesh, a silhouette of a cater

God knows she was drowning

for the ones who’d lost would understand

as for the one who’s lost can comprehend

the shadow of unspoken words

demands to be felt they’ve told

she just wanted to eel the piece of a living

in the midst of different reality

she desires to see the face of a mother

in the frame of affinity
And I would go around, searching and finding people to talk to, someone to hope to, and I would…
Tags: Firstwriting, Relationships, Feelings, Thought, Selfreflection

And I would go around, searching and finding people to talk to, someone to hope to, and I would start conversations about what we [him and I] used to discuss and ponder, about what real patience is, about what being special means, about what a good friend should look like, about what makes people laugh, [about why nights are often as heavy as blue, about what generates anxiety, about why that shitty actor is actually a terrific actor, about how easy it is to dispel a commonplace, about why I should stop underestimating myself]. And I would endlessly try to find a connection with them, to see if they could relate, and I would endlessly feel disappointed by their trying, too hard or too little, to comprehend. And I would never get the answer I wanted, the answer I needed, the answer I used to have. And I would never feel relieved by anything or anyone again. And I had no interest in bringing up new topics of conversation, I had no interest in showing how brilliant I could be at anything, in sharing my own and personal and unique point of view on things. Was it really (im)possibile to find someone who might be even slightly similar to what I had and which I had worked on so hard yet so little to build? Do we really need to put efforts into building relationships? Aren’t bonds created by complicity, by feeling, by heartbeats? How much energy could I possibly have to keep on trying, listening, hoping, realizing, pretending smiling, hiding crying? Did I actually have to do it?

Let Go – by SGL
A Blind Posting
By: Joanna Vang
Tags: Blindness, Feelings, Poetry

A Blind Posting

Image by JCK5D from Pixabay

On the other end of the line

voices sympathetically singing

wholeheartedly laughing

bringing the gifts that

our ancestors gave us

but tears erased those colors

blurred the turning pages

and carried us blindly

with a bleeding heart

to the last lines night wished

sinking whispers to tr-us-t

No matter how much pain carried in these musical words, I wish no Sleeping Sun to those growing blind.

Joanna Vang 2020
the water.
Tags: Feelings, Poets Unlimited, Poems On Medium, Self Help, Women Writers

how many people have cried under water?

inside pools of worries, and oceans of sorrow

where tears are what hold the weight of the world

and yet free flow,

soaking on and up as we bathe in our feelings

drenched in fears

and blended into surroundings,

the stillness feels stagnant

and the water gets too cold to be in

so we get up

we dry off

and leave.
Why Are We on a Quest to Find ‘The One’
By: Monisha Sen
Tags: Feelings, Love, Soulmates, Relationships

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

What is it about finding ‘The One’? Many people have come and gone and I’m sure many more will come and go who’ve thought about it, long and hard and still, nobody has the perfect answer, the foolproof formula.

I was lying on my bed, listening to Taylor Swift’s songs on a loop, when I was just compelled to take a pause and really think. What is it about finding that one person, your soulmate, the one, your ride or die, your true love? The funny thing is this is the one thing everybody, well almost everybody on this planet, seems to have in common. We’re all, at some point in our lives, looking for that person who understands us, who makes us feel free, who can see through the guard we put up for the world, who can see the chinks in our armor, who sees the ugliness in us yet refuses to bolt, somebody who feels like home.

Why do we all want to desperately find the missing piece in a puzzle, and more importantly, why is there even a notion of finding just one person? I mean, what is it that makes us want to be understood by just that one person, why does this feeling not hold the same appeal when two people know ‘the real me’ the same?

I think we all purposely save certain aspects of ourselves for that one person whom we consider to be different from the entire world yet who seems like our entire world. Those qualities or thoughts that we keep to ourselves and share with that one person automatically become sacrosanct. Your conversation, your moments with that person become sacred because you know you won’t ever be able to re-create the same with anybody else. It’s that knowledge that this is rare, it’s scarce, hold on to it, cherish and savour it while you can, because before this you knew how you felt and you’ll know that familiar feeling again if you let go.

I think all of us secretly feel special by making that one person feel special. It makes us feel vulnerable in front of that one person because we’ve entrusted them with our deep dark secrets, we’re aware that this person can make us do things we wouldn’t normally do but we’ll do those things out of a place of love and not an obligation.

A psychological fact about love based on research is that love is all that really matters in life. A 75-year long study conducted by a group of Harvard researchers found that for a fulfilling life, love is the bottom line. The study suggested that good relationships are the key to a healthy and happy life.

Now you see why all of us think it so important to find love. No, don’t try to deny it, it is important, even for me, who’s as cynical of love as there can be. But that doesn’t mean you stop living your life waiting for somebody. Remember, love is all that matters, doesn’t necessarily have to be romantic love. Till you find ‘the one’, cherish what you have and when you do find that person, well you know what to do…….don’t let go!
Why Consumer Emotions Are Difficult to Read
By: Jean-Marc Buchert
Tags: Consumer Behavior, Feelings, Marketing, Advertising, Psychology

Consumer Emotions Are Highly Contextual

Many theories around emotion psychology have emphasized the universality and innate nature of emotions. They assume that we can detect facial patterns that express each time the same emotion, whether it is fear or joy.

However, when famous psychologists Schachter and Singer had the idea of injecting epinephrine into patients, they realized the deep ambivalence of our emotions. After making them wait in a room in the company of fake actors, they confronted them in two situations.

In one, the actors complained rather loudly about the difficulty of filling out a paper and expressing their anger openly. On the other, they showed enthusiasm and excitement by making paper airplanes and playing with them.

Quite strangely, in the first case, participants affected by adrenaline also experienced significant anger, with no other connection. Meanwhile, in the second case, they showed euphoria in sync with the scene they had experienced.

What the researchers then realized is that our emotions are not self-generated but are largely defined by context. The situation in which we may both feel joy or anger for the same internal stimulus (be it adrenaline, dopamine, or any other physiological reaction).

As a result, our body or mind defines less what we feel, than the interpretation we make of what we feel. In this precise situation, participants inferred from cues in the situation that their beating heart was the result of anger or joy, and thus experienced that sentiment.

Hence, the growing importance of the experience and context of consumption in marketing. Marketers have noticed the power of contextual targeting to get a more emotional impact. For example, P&G’s “Thank you, Mom” campaign played when people were watching the Olympics with their families. As such, it gets a big resonance from mothers thinking about their sons’ bright futures. The ads wouldn’t have had the same meaning when watched at a different time.
BROKEN MIRRORS 1
By: Taleabong B Alemnge
Tags: Feelings, Poem

There're no truths beneath these lies

Just guilt stamped on my shame!

I don't know the man I'm becoming.

I try to find love,

I get heartbroken before I ever dare to.

So I look at myself through a broken mirror

& I hear a voice echo;

"It's not the mirror,

It's you who's broken"

Before thoughts drown me

& demons get my spirit chained,

I lock myself in a dark room

Turn the lights down low

The curtains dancing through the breeze

While I stare through the window pane

With marijuana trapped in between my lips

Just like every man

I wish never to be like my dad

I don't look good in a broken mirror

To be continued
The Dark Side of a Self-Help Guru
By: Iva Ursano
Tags: Feelings, Inspirational, Personal Story, Self Help, Self-awareness

I don’t have my shit together

Now, one would think that being a self-help guru means that we got it all together, we know what we’re doing, and we’re happy all the fucking time.

No…no…and no.

Not even close. If anyone tells you they are happy all the time, they are flat out lying. It’s not possible.

And I hardly have my shit together anymore. Well, I kinda did until Pinterest pulled the plug on my business (can you tell I’m a little bitter?) and then I pretty much curled up in a ball for over a week crying my sorrows away and wondering what the fuck to do with my life, all the while writing inspiring self-help articles.

What fun.

My entire world fell apart and every morning I put on my ‘happy mask’, sat at the computer, and told people to smarten up, stop drowning their sorrows, start taking steps to change their life, and get on with it.

After each piece, I would go sit in the living room, smoke some weed, and cry. I was a mess, my life was a mess, my business is a mess and I’m a loser.

“Oh Iva, you’re such an inspiration”! Ooph, if you could see me now.
Pushing Too Hard Won’t Make It Happen
By: Alyssa Di Grazia
Tags: Life Lessons, Feelings, Self Improvement, Blue Insights, Writing

You set a goal, and It’s so close. You just need to act.

But something strange happens, you get lost and do other stuff. Then you realize you had to do something and decide to think about it, right the next day. How many times that happened to you?

I guess a lot.

Maybe you are stuck in a loop of procrastination. You were doing what you loved with all the passion in your power. You were productive, but suddenly things changed, from a day to another.

Don’t panic. Some people end up thinking that what they were doing was wrong. That all they followed wasn’t their real path.

It’s not true. At least, not always.

I’m pretty sure that; if you were productive, loved what you were doing, and accomplished the goals you set, nothing is wrong.

If you never completed anything and felt terrible completing those tasks, maybe you should revisit your interests.
The Magician
By: Kenzie Kuhn
Tags: Magic, Thoughts, Poem, Feelings, Poetry

The magician is suave

he carries himself well

Never flustered or bothered

with many under his spell

This man has a magic

that only a select few possess

he can delight and enthrall

impressing the very best

From out of his sleeve

he reveals an enchantment

delighting all with his gift

and his flair for the romantic

His eyes carry a magic

that can easily entrance

and his voice, sweet as honey,

whispers visions of clairvoyance

Oh, what am I to do

with this mysterious man of magic?

with such a delightful charm

this will most certainly be tragic
Calor de chuva
By: Mara Vanessa Torres
Tags: Poesia, Rain, Feelings, Literatura, Poetry

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remorso
By: Diana Da Luz
Tags: Escrita, Emotions, Poesia, Textos, Feelings

por vezes Esmeralda and sometimes it comes out in english too
Our Inner Monster is so Deep, But Why ?
Tags: Thinking, Wisdom, Feelings, Sad, Depression

Monsters don’t live in the dark, I know this for sure

I’d lived with one such monster, one that I couldn’t ignore

I’d look in the mirror and see my face, as beautiful as it could be

But the monster would whisper in my ear, you’re worthless, can’t you see

This monster would rear it’s nasty head, when I was all alone

My confidence and my inner peace, crushed till it was Gone

I’d find myself lost in thought, not knowing why I was sad

Why nothing would lift my spiraling spirit, why I felt, I was going mad

I’d hang my head, my smile would fade, so unsure would I become

As if I was shrouded in a cloud of dark, and someone had taken my sun,

Such dark days lead to menacing thoughts, this monster was taking control,

It had grown in my mind, taken over my body and now my entire soul,

It took a long time for me to realise this monster was my own self doubt,

Someone’s negativity had lead to its conception, but I had let it sprout

But to love myself, know my worth, my mind would need to be taught

If I was to be free, If I was to survive, I’d have to fight

My Thoughts…
Uniform
By: Bradon Matthews
Tags: Free Verse, Feelings, Scrittura, Poetry, Reflections

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

The ease with which I dress,

Cinch belts around my

Waist

And rings on every finger

Like I could wrap

And knot my

Voice in colors,

Like this little game I play

Can have a winner,

Black the safety of

The porch where moths

Beat themselves to death

On yellow lamps,

The drawers overflow with

The texture of absent words

And I’ve been left

Pretty well

Alone

But there is always

Naked,

The first glimpse in the

Morning mirror
I’m tired. For a while now I’ve been this way. I mean a couple of months.
By: Vass Irina
Tags: Tired, Blog, Feelings, Journal, Writing

I’m tired. For a while now I’ve been this way. I mean a couple of months.

Maybe weeks?

I don’t know. It feels like forever.

Because I feel it in my body, my bones. My eyes are tired too. Burning up even in the morning.

And I know what I should do to get out of this.

Excercise, eat well, sleep plenty.

Just don’t complain.

Maybe throw in a little bit of meditation as well. Yes, that’d be really good. I’d feel so much better after. But I’m too tired to start.

That’s the thing. I find myself waiting for the perfect conditions. I’ll do these things to help me get untired when I’ll finally be rested enough.

But that point hasn’t really come. And the pile of things I’m getting tired of just keeps on growing.

Now it’s chores and cooking, and we’ll, let’s not forget work. And lying bosses and sly colleague and even we’ll meaning ones. Also keep in mind the responsibilities. Also. Tired. Of.

And through all these things that sap me I’m still burning to learn new things, to take control of my life, to make work that matters and means well, to have colleagues that help each other. And to have my joy in life. Again.
There was a time when, I used to be happy all the time, When I felt alive and free, When I didn't…
By: Afaq Ahmad
Tags: Life, Poem, Feelings, Empathy, Love

There was a time when,

I used to be happy all the time,

When I felt alive and free,

When I didn't care,

about the pain and suffering,

this world and the people carried,

When I was only for myself,

living for myself,

and thinking for myself,

Life was so beautiful and simple,

My heart never knew,

about love,

about pain,

about losing someone,

about losing oneself,

about emptiness and,

about loneliness,

Then, I understood this life,

The pain it carried,

The suffering it possessed,

The silence it whispered,

The emptiness it contained,

I woke up; from fantasies,

from dreams and,

from what never existed,

Now, when someone cries, I cry,

When someone suffers, I suffer,

When someone dies, I die,

When someone loses, I lose,

the crowd of people,

who were once,

nothing to me, now matter,

Life was never easy,

but, I was unaware,

My conscience resurrected my soul,

awakened me and gave me,

what I never had - feelings,

Now, I can't laugh,

when someone, like me, cries,

I can't feel happiness,

when someone is sad,

I am not peaceful,

when someone is suffering,

In all this process,

I learned one thing,

"Death is the life,

which we live,

without feeling others pain".

~ AFAQ
Destination
By: Kenzie Kuhn
Tags: Thoughts, Feelings, Musings

There are times I just want to board a train and leave in the middle of the night going only God knows where. Upon velvet cushions I would sit surrounded by a cart full of strangers, and I would find comfort in not recognizing a single face; no expectations, just pure anonymity. To the world my gaze would lazily drift as fields lit by moonlight roll by; ringer turned off and thoughts absorbed by music. I want to collect memories only I can be nostalgic for.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Tags: Thoughts, Poem, Feelings, Photography, Poetry

PHOTOGRAPHS

All these faces in the light

I fail to recognise

They twist and turn until the night

Falls down deep and heavy

As they dive into the dark before

I understand they’re out of sight

Funny how the mind blows towards the familiar without any trace of time

Effortless endeavours the kind of

hidden in deep forests of awareness

eager to remind

what’s already been forgotten

They beg to differ;

Defeating substance they stay alive

In chambers well hidden

I do not try to crack them open

Out of fear of the unspoken truths spoiled by mouths too loud to reconsider.

As the night drifts in empty streets and broken bedrooms

Their shadows dance until they bleed memories;

in real life they do not have a place in the sun.

I respect the use of boxes.
Invisible
By: Mayra Gomes
Tags: Feelings, Poems On Medium, Poetry On Medium, Invisible, Poetry

No matter where I sit,

Or where I stand,

Whether I stay or go.

No matter what I do,

Or what I don’t do,

I’m not sure I’m here.

Nothing reassures me I am.

All that is me goes unseen.

Invisible in plain sight.

Hidden before your eyes.

In the middle of the square,

Mid-day, all bright, I wear black.

Do you see me yet?

The sunshine knows I’m there,

It coats my face, blinds my eyes and

Makes my hair look lighter than it is.

Maybe it sees me, and I’m here, after all.

Or maybe the sun just shines as bright as it can,

Not choosing where its light lands.

I would ask the sun,

But I doubt it would hear my voice.

Am I not really here at all?
How The “How I Made 6-figures” Posts Really Make Us Feel
By: Julia At
Tags: Life, Work, Feelings, Startup, Personal Development

Is it envy?

God, I hope not.

Look, I’ve never considered myself an envious person. I love celebrating other people’s success. I root for them.

But I’m asking you: how do you feel seeing dozens of posts like that every hour?

Be real, though.

Imagine this: I’m in my pajamas, in my studio apartment, still in college, scared to finally enter the real world. And I see all these awesome achievements people have and I think: YES! It’s possible! Let’s do this.

But… How?!

They seem to have it all together. They seem to have it easy. They just get up in the morning, brush their teeth, pet their puppy, and then just start working and earn a lot of money.

And then it hits me: man, why are THEY able to do that?

Is it envy? I don’t want them to fail or anything. I don’t dislike them for getting to that amazing point in their lives. I would learn everything from them if given the chance.

I just wish I had the confidence to know I’m getting there, too.

But what is it?

The feeling of inadequacy.

What if I’m just not smart enough? What if it’s just not for me?

They have all these skills, resources, and mentors that taught them everything. Or maybe they’re just extremely smart and strong.

I can’t possibly handle that kind of business. Hell, how would I even get there?

Seeing all those posts is inspiring. But constantly seeing them while you’re barely starting? It’s a bit intimidating.

Of course, everyone is showing them off — in this state of the economy, we all want to know how to get to financial prosperity. Writers know it, platforms know it, traffic comes in.

But I believe there’s a dark side to it. As a new freelance copywriter, I see it every day. While I enjoy reading those stories, I can’t help to feel that maybe there’s something wrong with me. Maybe I’m not enough.
Incomplete Combustion
By: Joanna Vang
Tags: Feelings, Poetry, Bazaar Of The Bizarre, Musings

Incomplete Combustion

Image by Ursula Di Chito from Pixabay

Gentle protection of the meaning

yet hanging there uninterpreted

in a way that appalls me

the chain reaction of chilly hearts

with oxygen towards corrosion

a burning sensation to my mouth

ask for a go-to beverage

to quiet the flames

with a few closing words

in the veil of the night

the only gift that

entertains my fatigue

my eyes were closing

in my dreamy weakness

dancing with that strange

feeling of excitement

Joanna Vang 2020
freedom.
By: Taylor Leanne
Tags: Feelings, Poetry, Relationships

Freedom comes at a cost. Freedom can be a good thing, an empowering thing. It can also be something that reminds you there was once something holding onto you. Something that needed you. Something that you needed. Someone.

The moment you become free from that person is the moment you become confused. You’re confused on where to start, how to restart. The freedom could be something you were desperately needing or something that came as a shock to your system. In my case, it was a heavenly mix of the two.

Freedom came with the cost of losing you. I have yet to decide if you lost me or I lost you. That’s something I might figure out with time. You painted my soul with the colors of you, and those colors have long set in. There is no erasing. The reminisce of you is visible on me and people can hear the loss in my voice. I am free from the situation, but God, the freedom came with a cost.
Help a Woman Artist Today?
Tags: Aotearoa, Poverty, Women Artists, Computers

Women’s Gallery group 1982

Tēnā koutou katoa.

The gender pay gap in the arts is an old story. From 1980–1984 the determined women pictured tried to change that. And made a difference, thanks to government employment programmes, run by the Labour Department.

But forty years later, the latest figures show that women artists earn 21% less overall than men artists. That means they earn 79 cents for every dollar a man artist earns. If only arts-related income is counted, the gap is an extraordinary 45%, 55 cents for every dollar (Creative New Zealand/New Zealand on Air 2019). I can’t find information about the intersections of gender and ethnicity for artists, but imagine that they’re similar to those for the whole population’s average hourly earnings.(1)

Anecdotally, Covid has made this worse. And not one of the MCH relief packages for artists references the gender pay gap and attempts to address it.

So there are now more women artists than ever who can’t afford to repair or replace their computers. They have to manage large projects on their phones. If they don’t live within walking distance of a public library with computers, if libraries aren’t open at the only time they have available for their art work, they’re stuck. If library computers don’t have the programmes they need, they’re stuck. If they haven’t got smart phones, they’re truly stuck.

Have you upgraded your computer recently? Are you undecided about what to do with your still-in-excellent-condition old desktop or laptop computer or smart phone? Or do you know someone else with surplus equipment?

If so, please consider contacting Spiral on spiralcollectives76 [at] gmail.com. We’ll find a welcoming home for that surplus. And you’ll have done a beautiful thing.

(And if you’re a woman artist in need of some gear, we’d love to hear from you, too.)

Ngā mihi mō te tau hou!

(1)

…

Poet, activist and lesbian feminist Heather McPherson founded Spiral in 1976. Anne Else’s Women Together project for the Ministry of Culture & Heritage provides Spiral and/or Women’s Gallery key information and references; and there’s more here at Spiral Collectives.
Boxing Day
By: Abinas Jagernauth
Tags: Poor, Poverty, Homeless, Boxing

It’s Not About Boxing

Boxing Day is a public holiday celebrated on December 26th in the UK, UK Overseas Territories, and in most countries of the Commonwealth. Most of the countries of the Commonwealth are former British colonies or territories, and celebrate Boxing Day. In some countries December 26th continues to be a public holiday but the name of the holiday was changed.

Boxing Day is celebrated in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Guyana and many other countries. A few countries changed the name of the holiday but continue to have a public holiday on December 26th. In South Africa, Boxing Day is called the Day of Goodwill.

It is believed that Boxing Day started in Europe during the Middle Ages when the wealthy gave gifts to the poor, needy, and to those in the service industries. It is interesting that the day the gifts were given was after Christmas Day.

As a child growing up in British Guiana I thought that Boxing Day was a day for the sport of boxing because every year on December 26th there were serious professional bouts. These events were very well publicized and the results splashed on the front pages of all the newspapers the next day.

Gifts to the poor are now given all through the year. Many charities have been established to help the poor and destitute. These charities are supported and survive on donations from citizens and governments.

Some charities provide traditional Christmas dinners for the poor, homeless and lonely before Christmas Day. Two charities which do this in Ottawa, Canada are the Ottawa Mission and The Shepherds of Good Hope.

Boxing Day has now become a huge shopping day. I have gone shopping on Boxing Day in the past, but no longer do so because bargains are available all year, and I really don’t like the huge crowds.

One of the bargains I got on a Boxing Day sale was an alarm clock radio. It was the only one on the shelf and there was no price on it. I asked the cashier to check the price for me and when she said it was $0.44, I bought it. That was at least fifteen years ago and it still works perfectly.

Boxing Day has become just another holiday, another day off work to do whatever we wish. The wonderful tradition of helping the poor, hungry, homeless and lonely is now carried on all year.
The Homeless Man and The Fire Cat
By: Moni Vazquez
Tags: Humanity, Friendship, Poverty, Prose Poem, Poetry

I found a cat in my beard.

One day it just appeared.

I had not looked for it nor did I ask,

yet here it was with but one task

to bother me, play with my hair,

until my beard might end up bare.

How did it get into my mask?

I wonder. I did not drink over one flask!

I promise. Or was it more, as the cold came tight

and started strangling my night?

I’m lone, grumpy, cold, and poor,

no place for a cat to find his lure.

Except… just look! Oh my, he’s red!

And in my beard, making his bed.

The truth is rare, yet I can’t lie,

the cat is warm, a scarf, I must try.

“Hey, cat,” I say.

He stares at me, astray,

his head so tiny, his eyes so gray.

“What does it take for you to stay?”

He leaves my beard, is on his way.

I lost my friend, my one-night stand,

now the snow is falling, it was not planned.

I get my cardboard over the head.

Let’s hope tomorrow I won’t be dead.

But there’s the cat, he’s read as fire!

He brings me wool like a real squire.

“Where did you get this jacket?” I ask.

The cat just mews and walks me past.

“Don’t leave!” I hear my own voice say,

(who’d think!) “please stay.”

I cry my words of tears.

Alone I lived so many years…

The cat, like fire, turns around.

He jumps on me without a sound.

So now I know that if I die,

someone’s with me to keep an eye.

And so he goes. Without a smear,

he finds his home, again, within my beard.
Our First Two Winters
By: Paul H. Harder Ii
Tags: Happiness, Poetry, Poverty, Christmas

Our eight by thirty-eight Nashua trailer

had a heater fed by gas bought in

pressure tanks that tended to run dry

on the coldest night of the Kansas year.

Our 1960 Olds Batmobile had bad shocks

and a battery we had to bring

inside on winter nights, setting it

beside the heater to be warmer than us.

Christmas decorations were six tiny, gold,

plastic angels purchased at the drug store,

strung on thread, and hung on the wall, so festive.

We were so poor. We were so happy.

____________

Copyright ©2018, Paul H. Harder II

This poem is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 License.
The True Measure of National Development would be Reduction in Economic Disparity, not the Growth in National Income
By: Kishlay Jha
Tags: Economy, Economy Of India, Poverty

Economic disparity refers to the income gap between the rich and poor whereas the National Income is the sum total of all the investments, earnings from production of all raw materials and services. A country can be called ‘developed’ based on its industrialization, infrastructure, investments and other such parameters. But does that development percolate to the lower strata of people as well, is a different issue to ponder upon.

Mahatma Gandhi truly said that a country is successful only when no one goes to bed with an empty stomach. The scenes of people sleeping on the footpaths and in unhygienic slums is not a very rare sight in India. On the other hand we also have corporate offices like palaces, ironically built by the residents of the slums only. The NFHS-V survey results show a sad image in terms of malnutrition. The number of people below the poverty line even after 70 years of independence are worrisome.

This pandemic itself clearly made the disparity more evident. Richer people were getting bored by the lockdown and were missing their social life whereas the poor walked hundreds of miles on foot to return to their villages only to return to the cities soon to find work again as you can’t survive without money. This was the situation in India, which is the 5th largest economy in the world and is eyeing a $5 trillion economy in near future. Pandemic wreaked havoc in the lives of the already marginalized people. On the other hand we had multinational firms that were making great investments only to get richer.

India is progressing smoothly economically, poised to be a great nation for attracting investments and emerging as a manufacturing hub. But, unless the benefits percolate to the poor, the model cannot sustain for long. The Wistron Factory violence over wages reflects the unease in the people exploited while working for the big and rich firms.

The youth shall be trained to not ‘hide’ the slums rather develop them, not just earn a living, ‘generate’ a living for others. Stringent wage codes, increased security net in terms of incentives, MSPs and tax rebates shall be offered to people to climb up the ladder of development. The Government, the decision makers and the Students should realize that Economic Growth constructively phased with decreasing economic divide only can take the country to great heights. Equitable Growth is the ultimate key to success of a country.
Getting Closer To Your Mega Project Problem
By: Asad Ali
Tags: Society, Education, Poverty, Helping Others

When I started to think of an idea for a mega project, then suddenly one place came to my mind that is every day I see from 4 years when I went to University. That place is opposite to Karachi University as in the below picture.

For four years I am looking at these people from the window of my university point. when I went there and try to ask them why you are living here in a dirty place they told me from A TO Z issues.

My mind was totally shocked and stuck when I listen to them, after that I came back home and start thinking that what can I do now for them

first, I thought that I worked for their food and clean water, but later I realized that why not I worked on their education because this is the main problem there no one going to school, then I finally decided that I will work on their education because only Education can change their lifestyle and can give them a happy life.

Problem Statment:

22.8 million children approximately are out of school in Pakistan. And according to UNICEF Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children. That is really hurt touching for me.

So I have decided from that place I will choose only 4 children, 2 girls, and 2 boys and send them to school.

HOW I WILL DO THIS?

Below is the plan or map and follow this I will complete this task

I will contact different social welfare organizations and tell them my pitch from them I will collect funds After that, with my group circle, I will choose 4 children from different families, two girls, and two boys. Then we will try to enter them in a school near to them After their admission, we will buy the necessary things for them.

Well, this is my small proposal or pitch for my mega project.