Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
EL INGENIERO RAÚL CHAMALÉ
My mother finally realized that the beatings she took from my father would never end and that the abuse was not just for her for for me as well. The day my father took a knife and put it to her neck after he had beat her, was the last time I ever saw my father put hands on her. I can still feel her whole body shaking as she held me close when we were asleep. In the morning she woke me up and told me to get ready because we were going on a trip. We could not say good bye to my father , he would never let us go. So I grabbed a little stuffed dog he had bought me and got dressed. My mother asked me to tie make a bow on the back of her dress for her because she could not reach. I grabbed the straps on each side of her dress and tied a knot, she asked that I make it tighter; she was so thin I could have wrapped those straps around her 4 times and still had enough to make a good size bow. We got to the airport and flew to Chicago. Life has never been easy for a single mother . The United States was so different from our home town in Central America. My mother worked grave yard and after about a year she decided I could not continue staying alone all night and most of the day while she slept. I was around 6 years old and needed someone to watch over me. She decided I would be better off with my grandmother. She said she had to stay and take care of some things but that she would be with me in two days. Those two days turned into 6 years.
By Rocio S Romero5 years ago in Psyche
Self Love: Scars and all
When something breaks, it will never be as it was before. No amount of super glue or duct tape can force something back to the way it was in the past. The cracks will still be there; some pieces might even stay missing for good. Once broken, a thing will never be the same. Maybe it will be better than it was before, made stronger when it is put back together. There is a practice in some cultures where gold is used to seal the cracks, making the broken thing more beautiful and valuable. Or perhaps it will be more like scar tissue; it will look stronger than it was and even feel thicker but be weaker than it was and less able to withstand the wear and tear of life. And the thing about broken objects is this, whether they come out stronger after the break or weaker, they can always be broken again.
By Sasha Nichols5 years ago in Psyche
The Right Look
Laura Petroski had the ‘right look’ – blonde, blue-eyed, tall and slender with a leg-to-torso ratio of 1.4%. Her grandmother, Reba Petroski, told her the ‘right look’ would give her privilege. As proof she cited the disadvantages of Laura’s mother, Magda Wysocki, a petite brunette with brown eyes and a comfortable arse.
By Wendy Anne Waters5 years ago in Psyche
It's okay to feel things.
We as individuals choose different ways of living life, some of us choose to express our feelings while some of us happen to keep them to ourselves and not sharing them with anyone. It doesn’t matter whether you wanna express your feelings or not what matters is you accept them. Feeling things doesn’t make us weak or pathetic rather it makes us human who can understand pain, guilt, happiness, and excitement.
By Aesthetic Writer5 years ago in Psyche
Freshman Year
TW: suicidal ideation, depression, trauma, I was staring at the wall riding a bus home, and I cannot for the life of me stop thinking about all the ways I could attempt suicide, a task I tried nightly, failing every time. I had found myself in a cycle of self hatred, waking to the nagging voice reminding me you failed again, can't do anything right. I tried to shake myself free of the intrusive thoughts that cluttered my every thought until it completely died out. Leaving only the intrusive thought, leaving only plots of suicide.
By L.D. Malachite 5 years ago in Psyche
Social Media: Mental Welfare's worst enemy?
I find a lot of mental welfare posts these days promote "you are your own happiness" or "only you can empower yourself". The reality for many dealing with mental wellness is simple; we struggle to engage with that mentality.
By Chris Lambert5 years ago in Psyche
The Obitus
It was a gray and rainy morning the day Artemis received the package in her mailbox. She heard the mailman arrive at 8 am, which seemed far too early for anyone to drop off anything. When she peered outside there was no vehicle or any indication someone had been there at all, but the little red flag was up despite the fact she hadn't put anything in it to be mailed in weeks.
By Kaitlyn Cane5 years ago in Psyche
Fresh Start
I want to stop using this year. To kick it, for real. I know I say that every year, but this year, it’s for real-real. So many of my pals had gone before, you know. They just faded or ended up turning bright blue in someone’s bathroom or coming to an end on the street or a bar. I’ve been lucky for too long and know that I’ve run my luck. I can’t breathe right and I’m real hot.
By Julian Grant5 years ago in Psyche
Eating with an eating disorder
Let's start from the beginning, lets start with my mother's eating disorder. My mother was a woman who did not eat due to the traumas imparted on her by her grandparents, people I had never met. Mom was told she was fat from her hospital bed as a teen when she passed out because she was so underweight. She had no clue when she was with child how often children ate, as she didn't consume on a daily basis, asking my grandma "do babies have to eat every day?". The news rippled across my family as people realized with a start that she was in no way fit or prepared to be a parent.
By L.D. Malachite 5 years ago in Psyche
