Poetry
Ancestry, Addiction, and the American Dream: A Review of "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong
Sometimes you pick up a book that is so deep, beautiful, and layered in meaning, the words, without saying, ask you to put them down for a moment, just to be sure you're ready for them. Ocean Vuong's debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous demands us to feel. It isn't just Vuong's story, or the format of his novel in the shape of a letter to his mother who cannot read, that makes On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous impactful, though. Vuong's craft is so stunning, thought-provoking, and intentional that you cannot help but be suffocated by his words; in that mesmerizing asphyxiation is where we meet his narrator, Little Dog, and in his story, we are reminded of pieces of ourselves, or maybe a loved one, or perhaps the fragments of someone we might once have known. Ocean Vuong doesn't flinch and in doing so connects dots over decades to tell a story that is not just Little Dog's, but so much of North America's.
By sleepy draftsabout a year ago in Pride
What should you know about ceramic coating services in Lucknow?
A Comprehensive Guide to Ceramic Coating Services in Lucknow If you own a car in Lucknow, you’ve likely heard about ceramic coating services. Ceramic coatings are a revolutionary way to protect your car's paint from environmental damage while keeping it looking pristine.
By shivkunj automotiveabout a year ago in Pride
Lies and Truth
Is there any real benefit to hiding our inadequacies, mistakes, or sins? Who does it serve in the end to fill our environment with corrosive lies? Lies have chains that only stretch so far. Once we've reached the end of that chain we are pulled back with a violent whip-lash that leaves us and those within our spheres broken and maimed. What is the true damage in a lie? Is it the power that resides in spoken bonds, or does it rest in denying who we truly are. Can one who is blind to who they truly are ever find a sure place to stand? Why do we lie to our best selves? Is there too much pain? Or is it anticipation? Perhaps we are filled with anxieties of the unknowns of who we truly are? Will we actually like ourselves? Will we be trapped if we look and see, or are we unable to accept our own "un-acceptabilities"? Perhaps there's a notion, or an unspoken pressure, or law from the world that once you've seen yourself you must stay put, slap a sticker label on your forehead, and declare to yourself and the world that this is who you are, and that you require no more looks, time, or reason. In this web of fear it's all to clear that we have hewn the bars of our inward prisons. If the devil cannot keep us from being contented and satisfied with our blindness, then his next course of action will be to convince us that remaining in our assorted ranks and ways will keep us safe, and that any effort to step outside of that norm is dangerous, idiotic, or just not worth the effort. Why did the serpent tell our father Adam and our mother Eve to hide when they could perceive Elohim approaching? Why did he say to take some fig leafs and cover their "nakedness"? Perhaps there was another teaching hidden within the lie communicated by the serpent that was rhetorical? Fear is a powerful motivation to push us to cover our "exposed" places. It seems that the devil was more interested in getting Adam and Eve to fear Elohim to the point of trying to hide themselves from him in a time that they could actually use a councilor and friend- If the devil can win at teaching a false character of God then he does not have to work very hard to convince the sons of Adam, or daughters of Eve to hide from God. There may be a time when we try to hide from our divine self and from God, when our weaknesses or inadequacies are brought into the light. There may even be a time of stepping away, and doing some work so that, like Adam and Eve, we may return to the presence of the divine, where lies disguised as truth cannot be. Walking in the ways of truth- even if it may scourge our pride for a time is much more bearable than continuing to hid and be drown in a flood of lies over time.
By Ari Powellabout a year ago in Pride
My First Love
The sun dappled through the overhang of leaves, creating moving shaded areas on the well used wooden seats of the old library. Aryan, a tranquil kid with a universe of contemplations behind his scenes, was immersed in an exhausted duplicate of "Pride and Bias." His heart beat with an odd musicality, a blend of expectation and apprehension, as he sat tight for her.
By Iftikhar Akramabout a year ago in Pride
