Essays

Personal Essays

LEARNING TO BE RIGOROUS WITH COMPASSION

When a troll is someone you know, it’s very difficult to understand the motive behind. Is the person trying to be funny, crave attention, or just being mean? I can’t always tell. What I know is that my little public act of mourning my best friend’s passing, as I announced my break from social media, was quickly shot down by someone I regard as a good acquaintance. The behaviour was both confusing and hurtful.  READ MORE @Lit eZine


I. AM. BEAUTIFUL

(3rd winner for the 2022 Body-Positivity Essay Contest) Hosted by Navigating the Change & The Real PeriMo)

I am a plump child afflicted with a skin disease, which doctors cannot diagnose. Only their repetitive advice, “Stay out of the sun!” brings me temporary relief. Regardless, I am beautiful. But I don’t hear much about my beauty from my parents, instead from relatives and strangers. In fact, my beauty often compels strangers to plant kisses on my cheeks without my parents’ permission. As young as I am, I can see a twinkle of pride in my father’s eyes and a hidden smile dancing on my mother’s lips.

READ MORE @Navigating the Change


Vignettes

Select Prose Pieces on this Site


Reviews

‘A big book both in terms of volume and ideas, which exists to disrupt the conventional order of poetry.’ — A review of Kym Gordon Moore’s book, We Are Poetry: Lessons I Didn’t Learn in a Textbook

What comes to mind when you think about poetry? Boring, obscure, high-brow, dead or the new generation of Instapoets destroying the art of poetry. Whatever you think, you are not alone. So many have written obituaries about poetry. Lately, there’s a lament for the demise of the traditional form.

READ MORE @LIT eZine