How Does Writing Keep You Connected?

I.

To exercise my brain.

Writing can help you work out issues:

creating, reading, and expressing

getting lost in feelings,

release your thoughts.

Letting it be known what I want —

like having a diary but not really.

It gives me pleasure

happiness

helps me to move forward in life;

documenting significant moments

my form of self care

it helps me relieve my emotions — any stress

that I’m feeling I can possibly just write it down or

reflect on my day

and how I could’ve done certain things better.

Teach myself how to do better tomorrow

by knowing myself and knowing what I’m capable of.

I don't know myself until I see it in words.

II.

By helping me speak my mind

when words don’t come out of my mouth —

to my creativity, the side of me I often forget about,

to sanity. Brings me to another world that

I myself could never be brought into without a pen.

Helps me to imagine things —

another world or universe that I create

escape reality into a world of pure ecstasy,

opening my mind to a world, and

experience true and confusing

intimacy with characters:

heart, imagination, emotions, thoughts, and conscience.

Words on paper say what my mouth cannot

because the blank page is a tireless listener.

III.

Writing keeps me connected to my past, present, and future —

to the murky memories of those no longer with me

to my roots when I write poems about my home town.

Preserves the moment, no matter how

forgettable the moment might seem.

Writing down my family’s history has given a chance for me

and my Grandma to remain connected long distance.

Connected to the people I am not able to meet

to my friends and family around the world

to the classmates and the professor

to the people close to each other, but they are far away!!

Sharing  my personal thoughts and experience and

hoping people can share the same feeling

by the movement of words

by articulating my unthought thoughts

by letting everyone out there know that I'm still here.

IV.

Having your own opinion about things

and feeling safe as if you don’t have to share it with anyone:  

a judgement free place. But also:

by tweeting @ twits, typing letters into an oblivion

that the oblivious will never read.

Articulate my thoughts into arguments

and ideas that are organized.

Others can  see where I’m coming from, and

what other people think on a vast spectrum of topics.

Whatever I write down comes

from what I feel and how I view things

incorporates my experiences and values:

an upcoming research paper about home, borders, and migration —

the refugee and migration crisis

affects so many people,

and I learn about what I can personally do

to make a difference.

Break down any puzzles I may have to solve —

to the world and somewhat make sense of these crazy times

to true and false where you can express everything

to connect myself with something larger and

more expanded beyond the confines

of this cold prison called quarantine.

To consume all the charming vibes

to keep me connected to the smile

that every star in the galaxy copies.

Sane, whole, and connected to humanity:

grounded, reminding me to breathe

at times when I am not able to.

V.

The world is better than the latest terrible news.

Writing allows me to free my mind

with how I've felt in the past and a reminder

for how I want to feel in the future:

so one day I can look back and relive

what my past self once knew.

To develop a game plan for what I want to achieve in life

and further my abilities.

To be optimistic about myself

with the spiritual energy we possess as we mature.

To a deep sense of joy and purpose —

even when ocean eyes turn dark blue

and only rain is expected.

VI.

[celebration stanza]

To write is to join an ever flowing river of our ancestral past

and of the voices of those yet to come

connect over time and space —

connect my present to my past to my future

writing is my eyeglass

to “see” my thoughts

& the world more clearly

creating an ideal future life

while living in reality and

organize my thoughts:

if I don't write it, I don't do it,

from daily to do lists to figuring out

my memories of the past

to making plans for the future

to cope with the craziness of everyday

releasing energy on paper.

A daily practice

connected to myself, to my heart and soul

to words, sounds, colors, faces,

how the ground feels under my feet

I don’t lose my way —

the lover that I never want to leave.

It holds my past and future loves.

To write is to participate

in our human legacy of  language

that acquires permanence

connected to literary tradition

but allows me to break away from that tradition

to create a new 21st-century reality

wires me to poles of signals and spectrums of WiFi;

words are my eternal power

though there are many languages

feelings and ideas connect everyone —

a reminder that history is vast

and my griefs and joys join me

to a universe that continues to unfold.